


Furious Love

by VioletSkye413



Category: RWBY
Genre: AU, Angst, Explicit Language, F/F, Fluff, I'll add more tags as the story progresses, Mentions of past abuse, No Grimm, No huntsman, UFC au, eventually some smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-11 06:23:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 145,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20541560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletSkye413/pseuds/VioletSkye413
Summary: Blake Belladonna hasn’t had the best of luck when it comes to relationships, and that’s just putting it mildly. Working at her best friend’s bar is just one of the stable things that’s going on in her life. But one-night changes everything when she meets Yang Xiao Long, current undefeated UFC champion. Things are going great between them, until the very demon from her past comes back to haunt her.





	1. Chapter One

Blake Belladonna’s life wasn’t supposed to be this complicated. But life had a funny way of turning on you. It was by a cruel twist of fate that brought Blake to where she was now. Sure, she was in a better place physically, but mentally…that was another story. Things had been going the way she had originally planned for, but no one can really plan for the kind of trauma she had to endure just to get there.

For the past three months, Blake finally seemed to have gotten it right. She was working with her two best friends at their bar; getting the job at Sea Monkeys had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It was perfect for a night owl like herself. She was able to support herself as well as her reading habit that only seemed to grow now that she was on her own. Before...before she wasn’t allowed to have so many books. She wasn’t allowed to read all the time. She wasn’t allowed any sort of joy. She just wasn’t allowed anything.

There was a time in her life where everything she did was dictated. She couldn’t do any of the things that brought her joy. The controlling nature of her previous relationship had ultimately ruined her relationship with her parents as well as her friends. It had even cost Blake her previous job. She became a shut in, because that was what he had wanted. The love she thought she had, had hurt her so bad; physically and mentally. She still had physical scars to prove it; mental scarring that sometimes came out during the darkest parts of the night.

The freedom that came with working at Sea Monkeys had worked to her advantage. She worked until three in morning, sometimes even as late as four. By the time she made her way to bed, she was too exhausted to let the demons win.

Even though she had been working at Sea Monkeys for months, she still wasn’t used to the attention it brought. Often times, Neptune and Scarlet would try and get her to let loose a little bit; they would tell her to flirt a little to get tips, but old habits from before kept her from really trying. It wasn’t that Blake was bad at flirting, she just wasn’t used to all the attention. It still didn’t stop Scarlet from trying to get her to do it, nor did it stop him from “spicing” up her wardrobe for work. Modest t-shirts had been exchanged for lacey tube tops that showed more skin than Blake was comfortable with, but she had realized on the first night that it brought her more tips without her even having to say a word. All she had to do was give a suggestive smile, a little flirty side eye, and she was getting bigger tips from both men and women.

This led to a shopping spree with Neptune and Scarlet in tow, picking out sexy clothing that had see through material, shorts that would make her feel self-conscious wearing them anywhere outside of work, and heels that she could barely walk in. Her first night of wearing the riskier clothes, Sun had pulled her aside and let her know that she didn’t have to wear anything she wasn’t comfortable with. They both knew that Scarlet and Neptune were just trying to make her more comfortable in her skin, but Sun didn’t want her to feel like she had to.

“I’m fine.” Blake had said with a smile. Sun still wasn’t fully convinced, but he watched as Blake went out there with confidence and took care of her first customer of the night.

The spaghetti strap top fit her tight in all the right places and showed just the right amount of cleavage (“We all know you have tits, show them off for gods’ sake!” Scarlet had exclaimed while pulling off the white button up shirt she had put on over it) and the cut off blue jean shorts showed off her toned legs nicely. The heeled boots made her the perfect height for looking over the bar. The man that Blake had just finished serving had stumbled away while continuously looking over his shoulder.

  
Sun, who had been watching her the whole time, broke out into a smile. Soon, Blake would have the confidence back that that asshole had spent the last six years taking away from her. Sun sent a small prayer to whoever was listening, for Blake to be happy and healthy. Maybe even send someone special just for her. This was definitely one prayer he hoped got answered.

~*~*~*~

Sundays were Blake’s favorite part of the week. Depending on whether or not Blake drank the night before, she would wake up early and go have breakfast with her parents. It was a tradition that had started back when they lived in Menagerie. The tradition had stopped whenever she had moved in with him…but had started up not long after moving in with Sun. It had taken awhile to adjust, but after the fourth Sunday, things finally felt normal. This week was her turn to pick what they had; normally she would choose something with fish, but this week she really wanted pancakes.

As soon as she woke up, she sent a text to her dad saying that she would get everything they needed before heading to their house. She set her scroll down on her end table and stood up from her comfy bed. She stretched and let out a loud yawn before padding barefoot to the bathroom. Flipping on the switch, Blake stared at her reflection. Her hair was sticking up on certain parts of her head and even though she had put her hair in a low ponytail, she knew it was going to be super tangled. Shrugging her shoulders, she began her morning routine.

Fifteen minutes later, she was back in her room. She quickly changed into the clothes she had mentally picked out last night; a dark purple V-neck shirt, dark blue skinny jeans, and her favorite black ankle high heeled boots. Satisfied with her outfit, she applied her usual purple eyeshadow using her vanity mirror. She added a little bit of eyeliner and some chap stick. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Blake could see the difference almost a year had made; her cheeks were a little rounder and she didn’t have such noticeable bags under her eyes. She was still pale, but she had finally gained some weight back and didn’t look like a walking skeleton. She was glowing; she was healthy. Leaning back towards the mirror, she fixed some of the eye liner that had gotten smudged. When she straightened back out, she stared long and hard at her reflection. She hadn’t been allowed to wear makeup, low-cut shirts, clothes that was too tight or revealing; no high heels. She was made to look small and insignificant. When she was with him, she wasn’t known as Blake Belladonna. She was only known as his girlfriend…his property.

Blake squeezed her eyes shut as her mind went back to the worst years of her life. She began clenching and unclenching her hands. Every time she made a fist, she inhaled deeply. When she would relax her hand and spread her fingers wide, she would let out a slow exhale. She repeated this several times until the moment passed. Her panic attacks hadn’t happened as frequently as they used to. The first few months after leaving, Blake had them so often that she wouldn’t leave her room. Sun and Neptune were both there whenever she needed them to be and would keep their distance whenever she would push them away. They both knew when to step in and went to leave her alone. For that, she would be eternally grateful.

Tearing her eyes away from her reflection, she went to the kitchen and grabbed her purse and car keys off the dining room table before walking out the door. Today would be a good day for her, no matter what. It just needed to be.

~*~*~*~*~

Her trip to the grocery store was uneventful, as most trips to the store are. She grabbed everything that she needed to make pancakes, including bacon as a side because bacon just went perfectly with pancakes. After paying for all of her items and placing them in her car, sending a quick text to her parents saying she was on her way, Blake set off towards her parents’ house.

They lived about twenty minutes away from where she was living at with Sun, which to her was a good distance. Close enough if she needed them but far enough away to keep her independence. It had taken her parents quite a while to get used to the idea of Blake being on her own, but she was happy that they were now okay with it. For the most part.  
Reaching the house, she once again admired the beauty of the structure. A two-story house with three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms with a two-car garage, Blake often teased them about having too much space. It was nothing compared to their home in Menagerie, but she still liked to give them a hard time about it. Putting her car in park and reaching for her purse, she had barely stepped out of her vehicle when her mother came out of the door, smiling widely at her daughter.

Kali Belladonna was a beautiful woman. Her amber eyes – much like her daughters – were usually always shinning with pure happiness. Her ears flicked carelessly as a light breeze made its way through the trees and before Blake knew it; her mother had her wrapped up in a tight hug. No words were exchanged as Blake hugged her mother in return; words would come later once this hug was finished. Pulling away moments later, the smile on Kali’s face only seemed to grow wider as she looked at her daughter.

“You look beautiful.” She said simply. Blake rolled her eyes but said nothing as she went to the backseat of her car and grabbed the few grocery bags that she had.

They walked up to the house in silence and once they were inside, Blake breathed in the familiar scents of her parents’ home. It always seemed to smell of flowers and a hint of lavender. The lavender was from the scented candles her mom always had burning and the scent of flowers was from her father who every morning bought her mother a different kind.

Blake walked straight into the kitchen to find that her dad had already set everything up in preparation of Blake’s arrival. Ghira Belladonna was very precise about how things were done in the kitchen. Setting everything down on a nearby counter, Blake went over and kissed her father on the cheek, which was only doable because she was wearing heels instead of flats. Ghira pulled her into a tight hug and only let her go when Blake made an annoyed sound in the back of her throat.

“It’s good to have you here, Blake. Your mother and I thought we were going to starve to death!”

“Ha, ha.” Blake teased while taking out the pancake mix, fruit, and bacon she had bought. Her father shooed her away as he opened the box of mix and began pouring it into a large bowl. “You know I can do it, right?”

“Of course, I know you can. I just figured you’d want to have a cup of tea before eating. Your mom already made some.”

Blake’s ears twitched at the word tea; she hadn’t had any this morning when she woke up since she was coming over here anyways. Her dad chuckled and pushed her gently out of the kitchen so she could join her mother in the living room. Sure enough, Kali had a cup of tea already ready for Blake. She sat down on the love seat and picked up her cup, inhaling the smell deeply before taking a small sip. Such bliss…

“How has work been going, sweetheart?”

“Work is going really well.” Blake answered honestly. “I love working there.” Blake paused and let her eyes shift quickly towards the kitchen. “Is dad still upset that I’m working at a bar?”

Kali sighed heavily before answering. “I don’t think he’ll ever be fully okay with you working there, but he understands that you have your own life to live. He’s just happy that you’re happy.”

Blake smiled and took another sip of her tea. The truth was she was extremely happy working at Sea Monkeys with Sun and everyone else. She didn’t think she would like it at first, but once she got the hang of the register and keeping inventory, she loved it. She had always known how to make mixed drinks (something she would practice whenever she got a chance when her and Sun were younger) so making them was almost natural. She enjoyed the people for the most part and if there just so happened to be people there who got to touchy feely or even the few who were racist against the Faunus, Blake could kick them out and even ban them from ever coming back. It was something Sun had given her permission to do once Blake got hired on. She hadn’t thrown anyone out yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time.

“Maybe you guys should come over some time? I make a great margarita.” She joked. Blake knew that her parents would never go to Sea Monkeys and she was happy with that knowledge. The last thing she wanted was for her parents to see exactly how she dressed and how some of the customers looked at her.

“Perhaps you can just make me one here?” Kali asked while sipping her tea. “You know bars have never been my thing.”

Blake only smiled before nodding her head. It was for the best and she knew it. Twenty minutes later, they were sitting down around the kitchen table eating pancakes and talking about their week. Ghira was complaining about work and how he was getting tired of how everything was being run now that he had stepped away from a lot of the bigger responsibilities of the company. Kali had expressed that she had a wonderful week of yoga and meditation, and invited Blake to go to her next yoga class which Blake accepted. It had been awhile since she had done any sort of exercise and she knew it would do her body good. They all laughed at stories that were told and Blake rolled her eyes often as her dad said some lame dad joke. She looked at both her parents with such adoration and she sighed contently while sipping her tea; she was finally happy.

~*~*~*~

Once the leftover fruit had been put away and the dishes cleaned, Blake went and sat in her favorite chair facing the front yard. This was her favorite spot in the whole house. On the days she would come over here she would bring the book she was currently reading, sit down in the chair and read for hours. The one thing she enjoyed most about her parents was they were just as quiet as she was, so they were all content on just sitting and enjoying each other’s company without having to say a word. Living with Sun who never seemed to shut up definitely took a toll on her, especially in the beginning. Now it was a little more bearable since he mainly stayed at Neptune’s house and she had their apartment to herself. But, still, there was something about being here surrounded by the familiar smells of her childhood that just kept her at ease and kept the demons away.

At least, until she returned to her own home.

~*~*~*~

The apartment that her and Sun shared was located on top of Sea Monkeys. It was no coincidence that Sun chose this particular place to open up a bar; it was convenient and less expensive. The upstairs apartment was technically three bedrooms, but the third bedroom was used as an office since it also had a staircase leading downstairs to the bar. The apartment was roomy and comfortable and that was about it. It still needed some basic repairs and Blake hated the color of the walls in the living room which Sun refused to repaint, but other than that it was her home for the time being.

She had arrived thirty minutes before and was currently outside on their upstairs patio, looking out at the city of Vale. She was drinking her third cup of tea for the day and just daydreaming about how tonight was going to be at the bar. Would today be the day she kicked someone out? Or would it just be a boring night? If Blake was being completely honest with herself, bar life was starting to bore here. She needed some kind of excitement in her life, something to make her nights more bearable. Maybe Scarlet was right; maybe she did need to loosen up a bit more.

Yeah right, Blake thought to herself as she sipped her tea. As much as she would love for something to happen, she knew it would just end badly. There was no way in hell she would ever let someone get close to her again; all she needed was the friends that she did have and that was all. Looking down at her scroll, she pushed herself away from the railing and made her way back inside. Sun would be here soon, and he had text her earlier saying that he wanted to talk with her about something important.

Sliding the glass door shut behind her, she sat down at the kitchen table and opened up her book; she only had a few more chapters before she was finished and she wanted to try and finish it before her shift so she could start the second one. On the off chance that the bar was slow, she would pull out her book and read, much to the complete horror of Scarlet who claimed that her reading was “unattractive” and would scare away potential suitors. Blake had simply shrugged her shoulders at the time and continued reading. Since then, Scarlet hadn’t said anything else, but every time she pulled out a book, he would make a face and then continue on with whatever he was doing.

Fifteen minutes later, Blake was closing her finished book as she heard the jingle of keys. “It’s open!” she yelled out. Seconds later, Sun came in with Neptune right behind him. “Hey guys, what’s up?”

“What’s up, Blakey B?” Sun asked while going over and giving her a one-armed hug. “How was breakfast with your folks?”

Blake returned the hug before answering. “It went really well. We had pancakes and dad ranted on how much work sucks.”

“I know.” Neptune sung while sitting down across from Blake. Sun laughed at the joke and Blake rolled her eyes.

“Sounds like you had a good time then.” Sun concluded while sitting down on the table next to her. “Hopefully you’ll still be in a good mood after I tell you my important news.”

“Are you kicking me out?” Blake asked quietly.

“What? No of course not Blake! Why would you even think that?” Sun asked. “No okay look I just wanted to see how you would feel about something, but if you don’t want to do it, that’s completely fine.” Blake stared at him curiously, her ears facing towards him as she waited for him to continue with what he wanted to ask her. “You know how me and the guys are huge UFC fans, right?”

“Right…”

“Well, we were all thinking about buying the next pay per view fight and showing it here at the bar. We could have a small cover charge and have drink specials for the night to honor all the people fighting. And if it goes well, we can always do it every Friday that they have fights. What do you think?”

Blake didn’t respond right away. What did she think? It was a horrible idea. There was no way that she would ever be okay with something like that. How could Sun even ask her that? Blake had her reasons for wanting nothing to do with UFC and fighting; she had had enough violence in her life, and she didn’t need to be a part of that that world anymore. Even though it was still something she was passionate about, there was no way she could ever support that.

“Sun…”

“I know, I know! But seriously, it won’t be bad! It would definitely get more people to show up, not that we’re suffering or anything like that, but can you just imagine the potential? We could become a popular hangout spot!”

“Sea Monkeys isn’t a sports bar, Sun.” Blake argued. She sighed in frustration; she was being stubborn, and she knew it. “I get why you’re asking me; I really do, and I appreciate you for that. But there is no way I can get behind this.”

“It was more of just a run by.” Neptune spoke up. Blake turned her head towards him and glared. “Not to be an ass, but you don’t own the bar.”

“Seriously, Nep?” Sun said angrily. He looked over at Blake and noticed how her ears had drooped down. “Blake…”

“No, Sun. Neptune is right.” Blake sighed again and rubbed her hands on her face. She looked at both of them before speaking again. “If that is what you want then alright…but I still don’t think it’ll work. There’s no way that people will come and watch a fight here.”

“Want to make a bet?”

Blake’s ears perked up at the words. Sun and Blake had both been making odd bets since as long as they had known each other. In the beginning, it was usually just little things like betting that the other person couldn’t do a back flip into the pool or who could eat the most food in thirty minutes. At first there hadn’t been any money involved, but once they both started working, it quickly became bets of five lien, which then turned into ten, then into twenty and so on and so forth. So yeah, Blake was definitely interested in whatever Sun was about to bet.

“And what would the bet be?”

“If everything goes well next Friday, and by that, I mean we are at capacity, you have to open for the next week and make all the drink specials. You’ll also never complain again if we decide to have another UFC night. If everything goes wrong, I’ll do the exact same thing and I’ll never bring up having another UFC fight here again.”

Sitting back in her chair, Blake thought about the deal. It was definitely tolerable if she was to lose, but she definitely would rather not have another night of pointless fighting. On the other hand, if the event went horribly, she would never have to worry again about the fighting. Plus, if she did lose, it was only one week of day shifts and even though those were boring as hell, she would be able to handle it.

“Deal.” She finally said while sticking her hand out for Sun to shake it. He did with a satisfied grin.

“Get ready to lose, Belladonna.” He smirked while playfully smacking her with his tail.

“You wish, Wukong.” Blake said while sticking her tongue out.

Neptune stood up from the table then and clapped. “Now that that’s taken care of, let’s get ready for tonight. Velvet should be finishing up soon and I know she and Coco had plans for tonight and Coco has requested that we not keep her girlfriend a minute longer than necessary.”

Both Blake and Sun stood up from their seats and made their way down the hall. She let them know that she would be downstairs soon and went into her room to change her shirt to something a little skimpier. She figured a simple black strapless shirt would be good for the night; she grabbed her dark red lipstick and applied some before fixing up her eye make-up.

Just another night at Sea Monkeys, she thought to herself while staring at her reflection. Blake made a silent prayer that the event Friday night would end horribly so she would never have to see another UFC fight again, but her gut was telling her that this prayer was going to be completely ignored. She sighed heavily before leaving her room, turning the light off and shutting the door behind her.


	2. Chapter Two

Turns out having an MMA pay per view fight was actually a good thing. More people had shown up to the bar as well as a bunch of the regulars. Sun was bouncing off the walls with excitement while Blake rolled her eyes with amusement. She had been proven wrong and Blake fully accepted it. As per their agreement, she would be working day shift as well as coming up with all the drink specials. She didn’t mind making up the different drinks; what she did mind was having to wake up early. Not a lot of people came in during the day, although they did have two regulars who came in at twelve thirty sharp and didn’t leave until two thirty. Usually between that time until six thirty, the bar was super slow.

Blake’s thoughts were interrupted when a customer called for her attention. She smiled at the woman in front of her and asked for her order.

“Can I get a Dragon Sunrise please? Oh, but can you actually put ice?”

“Of course.” Blake answered. She quickly set to work on making the woman’s drink; focusing on make sure to everything was evened out right.

There were suddenly loud cheers coming from the patrons of the bar and Blake looked up from pouring to see why. On the television was a woman; a very attractive woman if Blake had to admit. She was walking towards the Octagon with a shit eating grin on her face and a championship belt secured to her waist. She was wearing an orange kimono type robe with yellow embroidering and her long blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. On the left side of the top, right over her breast were the letters “YXL.” Blake assumed those were her initials.

Handing the now finished drink to the woman, she told her the price. The lady didn’t even once turn around as she handed Blake some money; a little too much money. Figuring it was done purposefully, Blake set to work on getting her change. When she turned back to give the money over, the lady was making her way back to her table, cheering for the lady on the screen. Blake sighed heavily; she took out a few lien and put it in the tip jar before putting the rest in the front pocket of her black shorts. The lady would more than likely come back for another drink.

Since there were currently no customers to tend to, Blake leaned against the bar top and watched as the blond woman made it to inspection. She made a show of herself by smiling and winking at the camera before turning around. Once she did, Blake saw the back of her kimono was embroidered with a huge dragon in purple thread. Blake stared in awe at the details of the dragon. Everything was done in different shades of purple, except for the eyes; they were red. The woman once again made a show of herself by turning back to the camera and punching her fists together than winked. Blake only noticed now that her eyes were a beautiful shade of lilac.

She was staring to intently at the screen that she didn’t notice Sun come behind the counter. Her eyes were glued to the woman on the screen; while they were inspecting her to make sure she didn’t have anything hidden on her person, the fighters name flashed at the bottom: “Yang Xiao Long.” The name seemed vaguely familiar, she thought to herself. One of the guys must have mentioned her in passing…maybe.

“Yang Xiao Long.” She said aloud, still oblivious to Sun right behind her. He smirked and tapped her on the shoulder with his tail, causing the cat Faunus to jump in fright. “What the hell, Sun?” she exclaimed.

“Just trying to get your attention.” He laughed. “It would seem as if a certain blonde-haired girl has captured it.”

Blake made a face at him but turned her attention back to the screen. They were showing the stats between Yang and her opponent. Blake couldn’t stop herself, “Wow, she’s really good.”

“Yes, she is! She’s currently undefeated.”

“Have you talked about her before? I swear her name is familiar.”

Sun thought for a moment before answering. “Not that I remember. Maybe you heard it from your dad or from Ad—ahem yeah maybe from your dad.” He said nervously, catching his mistake.

“Yeah…maybe.” Was all Blake said. The more she thought about it, she came to the realization that it hadn’t been her father to talk to her about Yang Xiao Long; it had been him. He had said she was nothing but a bitch who slept her way to the top. Blake remembers it clearly now; she had rolled her eyes and pointed out that Yang Xiao Long was a lesbian. Blake could suddenly feel the stinging on her cheek from where he had slapped her. Out of reflex, she brought her hand up to her left cheek and touched it carefully.

Sun noticed right away her change in demeanor. He grabbed her left hand with his own and brought it away from her face. He laced their fingers together and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. “It’s okay.” He said softly. “You’re safe.”

Blake gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand before letting go. She was happy to see that there were people at the bar ready to order. She plastered a smile to her face and got back to work.

~*~*~*~

Blake wasn’t able to watch most of the match, much to her liking. Since the bar was so packed, she had a steady stream of people buying alcohol. She was currently in the back where they stored all of the extra liquor bottles when she heard people start yelling in excitement. Curiosity getting the better of her, Blake first adjusted her off shoulder white shirt before picking up a few of the bottles she needed and headed back to the front. When she got there, most of the people were standing up and cheering. Walking over to Sun, she asked him what happened.

“Xiao Long got a few good punches in. It had looked like her opponent was going down but she’s still up.”

This time, Blake left her eyes glued to the TV and let Sun deal with the customers. She was determined to watch the rest of the match. She looked on with fascination as the two fighters danced around each other. Every so often, the brunette would swing at the blonde – Yang, she thought to herself – but the blows barely landed. Yang was quick in responding to her opponent’s body language. Sun stood next to Blake and watched for a moment before reaching in the cooler to grab some beers. He quickly popped the tops off and placed them in front of a man who seemed to be impatiently waiting for them. Once the man paid, Sun stood next to Blake and leaned against the bar top the same way Blake was leaning against it.

“Twenty lien she knocks her out.”

“No way. Twenty lien the brunette taps out.”

Sun grinned. “Swift punch to the face.”

Blake rolled her eyes. “Rear naked choke.”

“You’re on Belladonna!”

They shook on the bet they just made and continued to watch the fight. Blake could tell that Yang was starting to get agitated that her opponent was just dancing around and not making any contact. There was a little under two minutes left in the final match and she was sure that the blonde didn’t want to drag it out any longer. Sure enough, Yang finally had enough and succeeded in landing two punches to the girl, catching her off guard. While the girl was still trying to figure out what was happening, Yang slid her hand under the girls’ neck and slid her arm around, successfully putting the girls’ neck into her forearm. She grabbed onto her own shoulder while putting her other hand behind the girls’ head and pulled back. They were both on the floor at this point and Blake watched in awe as a few seconds later, the brunette tapped out. Everyone inside the bar cheered and high five each other but Blake barely noticed any of that. Instead, her eyes stayed trained on the blonde-haired beauty.

Yang was standing off the side of the ring with both arms in the air. Even though Blake couldn’t hear what she was saying, she could read her lips. She was shouting “Yes!” over the noise of everyone else. The camera had made its way over to Yang and she pointed into the camera and winked before shouting with joy. Moments later, Blake watched as Yang made her way over to the girl who lost, and she gave her a huge smile and a friendly pat on the back. “You did great!” she read from her lips. The girl looked at her with a small smile.

“Hey Blake, there’s a girl over here claiming that we stole her money.” Blake was forced to look away from the screen to look at the girl Sun had mentioned. Noticing her from earlier, she made her way towards the other side of the bar, reached into her pocket, and handed her back her change.

“I hope you don’t mind but I stuffed two lien into the tip jar.” Blake said sweetly. The girl said nothing; she seemed to be embarrassed that Blake had actually held onto the money instead of keeping it for herself. Blake watched with amusement as the woman walked away without glancing back at the bar.

“Women.” Said Sun with a grin. Blake rolled her eyes before turning them back towards the television.

She had missed the judge declaring Yang the winner, instead she watched as they began to ask Yang about the fight. Thankfully, it was quiet enough in the bar that she could hear what Yang had to say.

_“It was a great match! I’ve been waiting awhile to get in the Octagon with Sabine, and she did a really good job.”_

_“Are you ready for your championship match with Emerald Sustrai in the next coming months?”_

_“I’m definitely ready for the match with Emerald. I know we’ve both been training really hard and I’m eager to get back in the ring and retain my title.”_

_“Is there anything you want to say?”_

_“I just want to thank my dad, Tai, and my uncle, Qrow. I couldn’t have asked for better coaches and managers. I also want to thank my sister, Ruby, for being my own person punching bag –” Yang stopped to laugh at her own words before continuing. “—she’s been such a great help. As always, thank you Weiss Schnee for writing and singing my introduction music. And lastly, of course, thank you to the fans!”_

_“Thank you Yang Xiao Long!”_

For a few more minutes it showed the ending stats of the match before cutting back towards the commentators. By this point, Blake’s mind was spinning with the words Yang had just said. To most, it wouldn’t seem that important, but to Blake, she was already walking toward Sun who was on the other side of the bar mixing a drink.

“Did she just say that _Weiss Schnee _performed her song?!” Blake whisper yelled. She was drawing attention to herself from the few customers who were standing there waiting for their drinks, but she didn’t care.

Sun looked at her out of the corner of his eye, taking in her annoyed face before answering. “Yes, she did. I thought you knew that. Don’t you have the song downloaded onto your phone?”

“Yes, I do, but it doesn’t say who the artist is! I bought the official UFC theme song album, and, on the CD, it doesn’t even have Weiss listed as the person who sings it!”

“I honestly don’t know why you’re getting so worked up about it.” Sun said while placing the drink in front of the person who ordered it.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because Weiss is my best friend and she never once mentioned it to me!” Blake said pouting. Noticing that someone was on her side of the bar she huffed and went to take their order. Once she was done, she went back to Sun who was wiping down the mess that he had made. “I’m just gonna have to call her and ask her why she didn’t tell me!”

“You’re being dramatic, which isn’t like you at all.” Sun pointed out. Blake fixed him with a stare before pulling out her phone. He put his hands up in defeat. “Whatever, I don’t care. If you do call her, tell her to come to the bar! It’s been awhile since she’s hung out with us.”

“I highly doubt Weiss would ever want to come back here.” Blake said while pulling her scroll out of her back pocket.

“Why not? I thought she had a great time when she was here last! She threw up and everything!”

She gave him a pointed look. “And that is why she won’t come back here.” She pulled up the message thread between her and Weiss and started texting her.

**Me:** _Hey, you never told me that you were putting your music out! >=(_

After hitting send she put her phone back in her back pocket. You always tend to stay busy when working at a bar, so once again Blake was back to making drinks and taking money. Thirty minutes had passed before Blake felt her phone vibrate. Ten minutes later, Blake took it out and read the message.

** Weiss:** _You didn’t ask._

Blake glared at the message before responding.

** Me:** _Don’t give me that crap. You should have told me!_

Little chat bubbles popped up on her screen and when she read the message she sighed in frustration.

** Weiss:** _Well, now you know._

A few seconds later more bubbles started up and she received a new message.

**Weiss:** _How did you find out?_

** Me:** _From some MMA fighter on TV! She mentioned that you wrote her introduction song!_

** Weiss:** _Wait, you’re watching the UFC match?!_

** Me: ** _Not by choice. Sun wanted to play it at the bar._

** Weiss: ** _That explains why you were watching and how you figured it out._

** Me:** _Anyways, Sun wants you to come out to the bar; it’s been way too long since we all saw each other._

More chat bubbles.

** Weiss:** _Fine, I’ll go by whenever I can. But we should grab lunch tomorrow. What time do you go in?_

** Me:** _How about dinner instead? I lost a bet to Sun, so I’ll be doing day shifts for the next week. We can meet at seven?_

** Weiss: ** _You two and your bets. Seven at Candlelight? I’ll make the reservations._

** Me:** _That works for me. See you tomorrow._

After seeing that her message had been read, Blake slid her phone into her pocket once more and looked up when she heard people cheering. The main fight was right about to start, but Blake just wasn’t feeling up to watching now that the attractive blonde-haired woman had finished fighting. Blake shook her head; don’t even go there, she thought to herself.

She let Sun know she was going to the back; she would much rather take inventory than watch two grown men fight. Blake had already personally experienced enough violence to last her a lifetime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I plan on updating (hopefully) every Friday. Thanks for all the kudos! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Chapter Three

The next day, Blake was awake at the ungodly hour of ten A.M. For five minutes; she stared up at her ceiling and wondered why the hell she agreed to Sun’s bet in the first place. Scowling at herself, she rolled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She knew exactly why she made the bet; she figured no one would care about grown people punching each other repeatedly in the face. She should have figured it would turn out to be false. A lot of people seemed to like watching others get beat up for fun…

Switching on the bathroom light, Blake stared at her reflection; once again, her hair was a mess and she could see bags forming under her eyes. Or was that leftover eye makeup? She ran her finger under her eye and sighed when it came back dirty. Apparently, it was both.

Closing the bathroom door, she faced the shower and turned it on, letting the water warm up. Satisfied with the temperature, she stripped out of her pajamas and stepped into the spray of the warm water.

Twenty minutes later, Blake was standing in front of the bathroom mirror in her black robe, patting her hair dry with a towel. She was mentally going over what to wear when she heard a knock coming from the office door. She set the towel down on the counter and made her way over to the office. As she got closer, she heard someone talking on the other side. A whispered “hold on” was heard and then a louder “It’s Velvet!” Blake quickly unlocked the door then pulled it open to reveal the rabbit Faunus known as Velvet Scarlatina.

“Hey Velv, why are you here so early?” she asked curiously.

“Sun didn’t tell you? Oh, wait hold on let me hang up with Coco really fast.” She said a quick goodbye to her girlfriend, promising to call her back as soon as possible. Once she hung up, she looked back at Blake. “I had asked for the night off since me and Coco are going out of town. We leave tonight at seven to catch a plane to Atlas. I’m finally going to meet her parents.” The Faunus girl beamed.

Blake stared at her for a moment, letting the words process through her brain. “First, no, Sun did not tell me anything. Second, that’s great news! I know it’s a huge step for the both of you. And third, are you coming in to work or just stopping by to tell me?”

“I came by to tell you that I’ll be working day shift for today.” Velvet’s long rabbit ears twitched as she stared at Blake curiously. “Is that why you’re up so early? You were going to cover for me? Normally I have to bang on the door numerous times to get you out of bed.”

Blake laughed at her blunt honesty and moved out of the way so Velvet could come inside. “Yes, that is why I’m awake this early. Me and Sun made a bet and I lost; you know I would never willingly be up before two on a Saturday.” Blake moved towards the kitchen and pulled out a mug so she could make some tea. “Would you like a cup of tea? You still have some time before you have to open. I took inventory and restocked everything last night so you should be good for a few hours.”

“Oh yes that would be lovely, thank you.”

“Go ahead and sit down. I’ll put the kettle on and then go get dressed.”

Velvet sat down at the dining table and pulled out her scroll, absentmindedly looking at it while Blake filled up the kettle with water before setting it on the stove. She turned on the flame before hurrying to her room to put some clothes on. A few minutes later, she came out wearing black skinny jeans and a dark blue tank top. Her long hair was now tangle free but damp. She reached inside the cupboard and pulled out another mug and a box of tea. She already knew Velvet’s favorite tea (peppermint) and that seemed like a good choice for this particular morning. Once the kettle started whistling, Blake turned off the stove and prepared their mugs. She put four sugar cubes in Velvet’s tea and two in her own, before setting the mug down in front of her. As soon as she set the mug down, Velvet’s scroll began to ring. The smile on her face let Blake know who exactly was calling.

“Hello, Coco…yes I’m still here talking to Blake. Apparently, Sun hadn’t told her anything yet.” Velvet mouthed that she was sorry, but Blake waved her apology away. “Yes, I’ll be working the day shift with Yatsu. It shouldn’t be too bad…yes I remember the wrist grab you taught me.” the girl let out a small giggle and started blushing. Blake so did not want to know what Coco had just said. “Coco, I’m being rude; Blake and I are trying to enjoy a cup of tea…. yes, I’ll message you later. I love you. Bye, darling.” Setting her scroll on down, Velvet picked up her tea and took a sip. “Mmm…my favorite. Thank you, Blake.”

“It’s my pleasure.” Blake said with Velvet’s slight accent. The rabbit Faunus smiled and took another sip tea.

They both sat in comfortable silence as they drank their tea. It was one of the things that Blake liked about Velvet; she didn’t feel the need to fill the silence with talking. Although, a few moments later, Velvet spoke.

“It’s nice to see you joking around.” She said softly. Blake could only stare in shock at the girl’s sudden admission. Velvet’s cheeks began to turn red and her ears began to drop. “I-I’m sorry, Blake. That was insensitive of me. I didn’t mean it to be so rude or to make you uncomfortable.”

Blake gave her a small smile and reached out and put her hand on top of Velvet’s. “It’s okay, Velv. I…know it must have been hard seeing how I was before. But now I feel so much more like myself. The fact that you noticed even though we haven’t known each other long makes me happy.” Blake’s smile grew wider as Velvet’s ears went back up and the girl gave her hand a squeeze.

They stayed like that a few minutes longer before Blake withdrew her hand. After that, it went back to peaceful silence as both girls finished their tea. Not long after, Velvet stood up and excused herself, saying she wanted to help Yatsuhashi set up. Blake walked her back towards the office and let Velvet know she’d be at the bar by five thirty so Velvet could leave early. She thanked her and headed down to the bar.

Closing and locking the door, Blake let out a long sigh; she could have slept in. Suddenly irritated, she headed back to her room and picked up her scroll. She had two messages from Sun; the first one was him gloating. The second was Sun informing her that Velvet was keeping her shift and for Blake to sleep in. Huffing in annoyance, she began typing a response.

** Me:** _Thanks for the heads up. Wish I would have known before I showered and got dressed._

She hit send on the message and a few seconds later he sent the shrugging emoji and Blake let out a small growl. Instead of replying, she backed out of his message and clicked on Weiss’. She hit the call button and pressed the scroll to her hear. Hopefully Weiss would be available for lunch instead. It rang thrice before the heiress answered.

_“Hello?”_

“Hey Weiss, anyway we can do lunch instead? Sun is an idiot and didn’t tell me that Velvet was keeping her shift for today since she’s going out of town.” A sigh came from the other line.

_“Lunch works for me. Twelve thirty?”_

Blake looked at the clock located on her nightstand; it was 11:38. “That works for me.”

_“I’ll call and change the reservation time. Tell Sun I said he’s an imbecile.”_

“Will do. Oh, and Weiss, you’re paying right?” Blake could almost hear the eye roll the girl was giving her.

_“Yes, you cheapskate, I’ll pay. What’s the point of you having a job if you never pay for anything?”_

Blake smirked. “You know what they say, bartenders are a bunch of broke hookers with low standards.”

_“Yes, I have heard that somewhere…I’ll see you in an hour.”_

“See you soon, Ice Queen.” She replied before hanging up.

Setting her scroll down on the end table, Blake stood there for a moment with a content smile on her face. It had been so long since she felt this happy. Sure, she still had moments where she got overwhelmed by sadness, but those moments were happening less and less. Picking up her scroll again, she went to her music app and hit shuffle on her playlist. Going back to her dresser, she began applying her make-up and getting ready to see one of her best friends. Today was going to be a great day, no matter what.

~*~*~*~

Candlelight Café was the place where Weiss and Blake loved to meet. They often went long periods of time not talking, but whenever they got together at the cozy little place, it was as if no time had passed at all. Candlelight offered breakfast, lunch, and dinner and were also one of the few places where they had loose leaf tea.

Blake had arrived five minutes late and knew the white-haired girl was going to give her grief about it. Walking inside, she removed her Ray Bans and looked around the room; she didn’t see Weiss’ usual ponytail. Blake headed over to the hostess stand where two waiters were chatting.

“Excuse me, I have a reservation under the name Schnee.” Both men turned to her at the same time. The dark haired one looked at her in awe while the blond looked at her in…disgust.

Unfortunately, Blake had become used to the looks that some humans gave her because of her cat ears and golden eyes. What she wasn’t used to was those types of humans working at a place with a “Faunus Welcome!” sign clearly visible in the window. It would appear as though one of the racist assholes in the world had managed to snag a job at her favorite place.

“W-welcome! Right this way please. Miss Schnee is seated outside.” The dark-haired man said. He motioned for Blake to follow him; as she turned to do so she gave the blond man one last look. He was still glaring at her, so Blake smiled at him, revealing her sharp canines. He made a sound of disgust, but Blake had already turned away and followed the other boy outside.

Out in the sun, Blake slipped her glasses back on; why the hell had Weiss decided to sit outside? Moments later she spotted Weiss sitting at a table with an umbrella overhead. She was currently on her scroll but looked up when she heard the approaching footsteps. A small smile graced her lips as Blake sat down in front of her. She thanked the waiter and watched as he scurried off, throwing a few glances behind him at the pair.

“Looks like someone has an admirer.” Weiss commented while rolling her eyes.

“Too bad you’re a huge lesbian.” Blake teased.

“He was not looking at me!” she scoffed. “He was so checking you out.”

This time, Blake rolled her eyes. “As soon as I dropped your last name, he became flustered. Believe me; he likes you, not me.”

“Well none of that matters.” Weiss straightened in her chair and stared at Blake, her ocean blue eyes glaring holes through her sunglasses. “You’re late.”

Blake groaned before slumping down in her seat. “I know.”

Weiss kept staring. “Are you even going to take those off?”

“You do realize that I’m usually asleep at this hour, right?”

“What’s your point?”

“My point is that the sun is on the wrong side of the sky and it’s making my eyes hurt.”

They both were silent as they continued to stare at each other. Blake let out a heavy sigh before placing her Ray Bans back atop her head. Satisfied with her small victory, Weiss looked down at the menu.

“What are you going to get?”

“The usual.” Blake answered while blinking her eyes rapidly. “Why did you choose to sit outside?”

“Because it’s a beautiful day out and I wanted to enjoy it.” She said impatiently. She quickly scanned the menu before looking back up at Blake. “I hope you don’t mind but I actually already ordered for us.”

Blake was so used to this that she didn’t even roll her eyes in annoyance. They usually always had the same thing to eat every time they came here. So, it didn’t surprise her at all when moments later their drinks – orange spice tea for Blake and a cappuccino and water for Weiss – were being set down in front of them. When Blake looked up to thank the waiter who brought them out, she was surprised to see the same rude waiter from when she had arrived. Her smirk came back as she noticed he was visibly uncomfortable being around her. He didn’t linger long after setting their drinks down; hurrying back to the kitchen before Blake had a chance to even open her mouth.

“You know…” Blake started, but then stopped. She would wait until after they were done eating before telling Weiss. The girl was more than like to cause a scene and she at least wanted to enjoy her lunch first. “It’s been awhile since you’ve come to the bar.”

“Yeah, there’s a reason for that.” Weiss said while picking up her cappuccino.

“A stupid reason.” Blake stated while fixing her tea to her liking. “When are you going to get over the fact that you and Neptune dated and from that you both learned that you were gay?”

Weiss choked on her coffee and cleared her throat. “That is _not_ why I don’t go there, and you know it!” Blake laughed at how flustered she was getting. “I just refuse to go to a bar called Sea Monkeys.”

“You told me the last time you were there that you liked it. You said something along the lines of it being ‘creative’ or something like that.”

“I was drunk!”

“You still said it.” Blake said with a smirk as she sipped her tea. “Plus, you did kind of already agree to come. I have the proof in our message thread.”

Weiss sighed heavily and took another sip of her coffee. “Fine, I’ll go tonight, but only for a few hours! You are going to be bartending right?”

“It’ll be me and Sun.” Blake answered while setting her cup down. “Neptune will probably be there too, but he’ll just be hanging out. Scarlet has the night off and Sage will be working the door.”

Weiss nodded her head but didn’t get a chance to respond since the rude waiter came and placed their food in front of them. Weiss had ordered the strawberry spinach salad with grilled chicken and for Blake, an order of the smoked salmon with roasted red potatoes and green beans. Weiss thanked him and he quickly walked away; this time, Weiss noticed his attitude but when she looked over at Blake, she was already digging into her salmon. She rolled her eyes and also began eating her food.

They both sat in silence as they ate; both comfortable with each other that they didn’t need to talk. There was a light breeze that kept both of their skin cool and large puffy clouds were rolling in the blue sky, keeping the area shaded. Blake looked up momentarily to look around her, noticing people enjoying a nice summer day. Fall was still a few months away, but she was already not looking forward to the cold; she hated the cold.

Once they were finished eating, Weiss sat up straight again and placed her hands on the table, a clear sign that she had something to say. Blake waited patiently, sipping on her tea; Weiss would speak when she was ready.

“So…I have something I need to tell you.” Weiss started slowly. She looked over at Blake who simply nodded her head so she could continue. “I…met someone.”

Blake so was no expecting that. “You did? When? Where? Who?”

“Yes, I did. A few months ago. I met her at work, actually.” Weiss took a sip of her water before answering the last question. “Her name is Ruby Rose.”

Blake was smiling so wide that she feared her skin was going to tear. “Oh, that is great news, Weiss! So, you two are dating or are you two just friends?”

“No…we’re dating. It just became official a few weeks ago.”

“A few weeks ago?! You waited that long to tell me?”

“I wanted to tell you in person.” Weiss shrugged indifferently.

“I want to meet her.” Blake said. “You haven’t dated anyone since those horrible few weeks of dating Neptune and that was _years _ago!”

“Why do you keep bringing that up?” Weiss grumbled.

“It was just to make a point.” A few minutes of silence and Blake’s ears suddenly twitched as she got an idea. “Why don’t you bring her to Sea Monkeys? That seems like a good time to meet her.”

“What? No way! I don’t want her first time meeting you to be at a bar where people are going to be drunk.” Weiss huffed. “Why don’t we just plan to meet here instead? We can all get to know each other without having to yell at one another.”

“I think it’s a great place to meet her. Besides, you already agreed to come out tonight so why not bring her with you?”

Weiss bit her bottom lip as she thought about it. “I’ll ask her and see what she says. She really doesn’t drink all that much.”

“She doesn’t have to drink, Weiss.” Blake said softly. She could tell Weiss seemed a little uncomfortable with the idea, so she added softly. “Look, ask her and if she says no then we’ll make plans to have dinner sometime during the week since I’ll be working the day shift. So long as you’re alright with her coming, then you should bring her.”

Weiss gave her a small smile while giving a soft thank you. They both smiled at each other before the subject was changed. Blake asked her how work was going in which Weiss rolled her eyes as she usually did when bringing up her family’s company. Schnee Diamond Company was the leading company in mining diamonds and were currently ranked as one of the best companies to work for…if you were a human. SDC had come a long way from the very beginning, especially now since they had stricter laws for their workers, but it still didn’t change the fact that the Faunus who worked for them were underpaid and had minimal benefits. The worst part was that it was all legal, however the human employs of SDC got better pay and benefits and it had caused many protests, but nothing was being done. Weiss was determined to fix this issue once she took over the company, but that wasn’t going to be happening any time soon. Having Blake for a best friend certainly didn’t make her relationship with her father any better, but it did give Weiss a better understanding on what it was that needed to be done. Meeting Blake had turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to the heiress.

Blake asked how her siblings were in which Weiss gave a small sigh; Winter was currently on an assignment for the Atlas military and Whitely was, well Whitely. Weiss quickly brushed it off and asked how Blake was doing and asked what she had been up to since the last time they had seen each other. It wasn’t much, Blake realized as she began telling her about breakfast at her parents’ house, work at the bar, and a new series of books she was reading. When asked about her social life, Blake broke eye contact and stared behind the white-haired girl instead. She knew it was going to get brought up, but she didn’t want to talk about it. Before Weiss could push on the subject, their waiter came by to clear their plates and ask if they needed anything else.

“Just the check, please.” Weiss answered. He nodded his head before sending a look towards Blake. This time, Weiss did finally catch the look he was giving her friend. “Is there an issue with our waiter that I should know about?”

Blake shifted in her seat uncomfortably and watched Weiss’ eyes narrow. “He’s just a racist asshole.” She muttered.

“That is unacceptable!” Weiss said sternly. When the waiter returned Weiss gave him a long hard stare. The waiter swallowed nervously while setting the check on the table. Pulling out her card, she placed it on top of the check before turning to look at the man. “I’d like to speak with your manager.”

“Y-yes ma’am.” He said while picking up the card and check before walking away quickly.

“Weiss, as much as I appreciate you sticking up for me, you don’t have to do that.” Blake tried to reason.

“Normally I would just be a bitch but come on, Blake. We eat here all the time. I refuse for this place to sink so low as to have someone who is anti-Faunus working here. Besides, Gregory needs to know that there’s someone here who might give other Faunus a hard time.” Weiss’ face softened as she looked at Blake. “I’m doing this for you and all the other Faunus who just want to enjoy a fantastic meal without having to worry about someone being a jerk to them.”

Blake really couldn’t argue with that logic. So, while Weiss talked to the manger, Gregory, who had appeared minutes later, Blake listened and interjected in the conversation whenever needed. Greg apologized to the both of them; he knew that they were both regulars and promised to talk to the employee and if he didn’t clean up his act, he assured them he would be let go. Greg tried to let them have their meal for free, but Weiss waved him away, saying that that wasn’t the end goal she had in mind; she just wanted to bring the disrespect to his attention before it got worse. He thanked them again before returning inside.

“Well, I think that’s enough excitement.” Weiss said while standing from her chair.

“At least until tonight.” Blake commented while standing from her own seat and sliding her sunglasses back on.

“I’ll let you know what Ruby says.” Weiss said as they both began to head back inside. Luckily, they didn’t see the waiter who had given them a hard time. “Even if she decides not to go, I’ll still go by for a few drinks. This week sure has been hell and I deserve it.”

Blake laughed. “I can definitely relate to that feeling.”

“Yes, I’m sure working with a bunch of idiots can be tiring. And by idiots, I mean the people you actually work with.” She said with a smirk as they reached the front exit. Right outside the door was a sleek black town car, the driver waiting patiently by the backdoor to open it for Weiss. “Did you need a ride back to your apartment?”

“No, I’ll be fine. I brought Sun’s car.”

“What’s wrong with yours?” Weiss asked curiously.

“It’s in the shop again.” Blake said while rolling her eyes. “They always say that the issue is fixed and then a week will go by before I’m taking it back.”

Weiss stayed quiet for a little while before speaking. “I know someone who might be able to take a look at it. They’re practically a genius when it comes to mechanical things.”

Blake’s ears twitched. “That actually sounds great. Maybe then I won’t have to waste so much money taking it back.”

“I’ll let you know.” Weiss said. She stepped forward and gave Blake a brief hug before separating from her. “I’ll see you tonight, Blake.”

“See you later Weiss.” Blake said with a wave. She waited for the town car to pull away before walking towards Sun’s car.

Once inside, she quickly started the car and carefully pulled into traffic. Glancing at the clock she noticed they had been there for two hours. Smiling to herself, she realized she’d be able to have a quick nap before going to relieve Velvet. Blake had a gut feeling she was going to need a nap before tonight’s shift.

~*~*~*~

Sea Monkeys’ was packed, and it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet. There were people everywhere and it seemed as if they were almost at capacity. They had only been this busy once and that was when they had first opened, way before Blake had started working there. All of this was because they had shown the UFC match the night before. Blake was very impressed at how business savvy Sun and Neptune were; or maybe it was just luck. Either way, Sun was bouncing with excitement as more people entered the bar.

It was them three behind the bar and they were managing well. However, Blake hadn’t been able to check her scroll at all since clocking in. She had felt her scroll vibrate a few times; no doubt it was Weiss trying to get a hold of her.

She was finally able to get a small break when she had to grab a new bottle of tequila from the storeroom. For once she was thankful for the “you finish a bottle, you grab a new bottle” rule that Neptune had set in place. She leaned against the wall and sighed before pulling out her scroll. Sure enough, she had four messages from Weiss.

** Weiss: ** _Ruby said she’ll go. What time is good for you?_

** Weiss:** _Nine thirty should be good, right?_

** Weiss:** _Oh, Ruby invited her sister so she’s coming as well._

** Weiss:** _Blake Belladonna! Answer me!_

She rolled her eyes at the last message and noticed it was sent ten minutes ago; checking the current time she noted that it was already ten minutes passed nine. She began typing out her reply.

** Me:** _That’s good she’s coming; can’t wait to meet her! Nine thirty is fine. The more the merrier. Weiss Schnee! It is very busy tonight; calm down Ice Queen before you melt._

She hit send before typing out another message.

** Me:** _I’ll see you when you get here. Be safe!_

She sent the message and pocketed her scroll before reaching for two bottles of tequila. She rushed back out just as Neptune was walking in. They bumped into each other but kept on moving; there was no time for idle chit chat.

As she made her way towards the shelves with all the bottles, she noticed all the stares that some of the customers were giving her. She knew her outfit was a little too revealing, but it was one of her favorites. A black low-cut shirt with a corset style front that showed off just the right amount of skin was paired with black cut off shorts. Underneath her shorts she was wearing fishnet stockings and high heeled boots that went up to her calf. Her eye make-up was dark and matched with her signature purple eyeshadow; her lips were a dark red that mimicked black in the darkness of the bar. She really didn’t have much time to glare at them; instead she turned back to the next customer and took his order.

Her scroll vibrated and she took it out and glanced at the screen; it was from Weiss, so she assumed she had just arrived seeing as it was nine thirty exactly. She yelled at Sun saying that Weiss was there, and he just nodded his head while moving around Neptune to grab a bottle that he needed. As much as she wanted to go and greet her friend, there were still a few people that needed her attention.

“Well, if it isn’t the broke hooker that I took out to lunch today.”

Looking up from her pour, Blake smirked as Weiss stood directly in front of her on the other side of the bar top. She was wearing a plain white off shoulder shirt and a pair of blue skinny jeans; no doubt she was wearing some killer heels to hide the fact that she was short. Her hair was in its usual ponytail and she wore minimal make-up.

“Hello, your majesty. How can I humbly serve your royal pain in the ass?” Blake played along.

“You can start by getting your broke ass over here and giving me a hug. And then you can make me a strawberry margarita.”

Blake laughed at her bluntness; it was always fun to see Weiss more relaxed. She finished the drink she had been making and handed it to the waiting customer who hadn’t taken his eyes off Weiss the whole time she had been standing there. He walked off in a daze and she saw Weiss roll her eyes before giving Blake another smile. Making her way quickly around the bar, she gave Weiss a tight hug before letting go.

“I’m glad you could make it!” Blake smiled. “Now, where is this girlfriend of yours?”

“She’s currently waiting outside for her sister. We took separate vehicles.” She rolled her eyes. She looked over at the bar and waved at Sun and Neptune who had stopped to wave back at her. Weiss briefly looked around before turning her attention back to Blake. “It seems awfully packed, even for a Saturday.”

“It’s from us showing the UFC fight last night.” Blake said matter-of-factly. She looked around too at all the smiling faces. “I’m sure we’ll be showing it again.”

“Well, if it’s good for business I guess it’s alright.” Weiss looked at her cautiously. “How do you feel about it though?”

“Honestly?” Blake hesitated before answering. “It’s a little weird, being around it. But seeing at how packed it is and seeing Sun smiling like an idiot makes it worth it.”

Weiss didn’t say anything at first. Finally, opening her mouth, she said, “So long as you’re alright…”

“I will be.” Blake said with a smile. Walking back behind the bar, Blake quickly set to work on making Weiss’ drink.

She was casually leaning against the bar, watching Blake make her strawberry margarita, something that Weiss had once told her she had found strangely calming. Once the drink was done, Blake handed it to Weiss who, in turn, tried to hand her card over, but Blake waved it away.

“First two rounds are on me. Consider them a thank you for lunch and a thank you for coming out tonight.”

“Only the first two? You really are a cheapskate.” Weiss teased.

Blake rolled her eyes. “Both of my bosses are right next to me. I can only get away with so much.”

“Of course; I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble. If they ever fired you, you’d be jobless and homeless.”

“I wouldn’t be homeless; I could just go live with you in your mansion. I could be your live-in hooker.” Blake joked and Weiss let out a very un-Weiss like snort before taking a sip of her drink.

“Uh…hi. Wow I, uh, hope I’m not interrupting…”

Both Blake and Weiss turned to the person who had just spoken. Before Weiss could say anything, she started choking on her drink.

“Oh my gosh, Weiss are you okay?” the girl asked concerned.

Blake just watched in horror (and, if she was being honest, slight amusement at Weiss’ expense) at the realization that this girl must be Weiss’ girlfriend, Ruby…who had just heard Blake say she’d be Weiss’ own personal hooker. What a great first impression. While Weiss was choking, Blake took a moment to take in the girls’ overall look. She was the same height as Weiss, which mean that she was at least two feet taller than the white-haired girl. Her hair was cut short and looked to be black, tinted with red. Her most apparent feature was her eyes; they were the most beautiful shade of silver Blake had ever seen. Not that Blake had seen any people with silver eyes before. Those silver orbs were currently still focused on Weiss as she began to slowly regain her composure.

“Where—” cough “is Y—” cough.

“She’s looking for a place to sit.” The short haired girl said while patting Weiss’ back. She looked over at Blake and smiled. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you, I’m Ruby Rose. You must be Blake?”

Giving her a small smile, Blake extended her arm over the bar to shake Ruby’s hand. “Hello, Ruby. I’m Blake Belladonna. And I promise, I’m not a hooker.”

Ruby began laughing as she shook Blake’s hand, making Blake’s smile widen while Weiss began choking again.

“Seriously, Blake?” she said between coughs. “You’re such a bitch!”

“Aw, Weiss don’t be mean! I thought it was funny!”

Grabbing a small plastic cup, Blake filled it with water as Weiss continued to cough. She handed it to Weiss who quickly grabbed it and began to sip the liquid slowly. Turning back to Ruby, she leaned against the counter. “What can I get you?”

“Oh, I um, don’t really drink alcohol.”

“That’s fine. We have soda and water if you’d like that instead.”

“Can I get a coke please?”

Blake nodded her head and set to work on getting Ruby’s soda. Once she was done, she handed the soda to Ruby who beamed at her.

“How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing, first two rounds are on me.”

“Thanks, Blake!”

Blake smiled at her before turning her attention to the people behind them. “Sorry guys, but duty calls.”

“That’s fine. We’re gonna go find my sister. It was great meeting you! Hopefully we can talk on your break!”

She waved to both of them before turning to the man who had been standing behind them. She watched as his eyes traveled up and down her body, stopping briefly at her chest, then continuing towards her cat ears. He looked back at her face, his smirk growing wider.

“Hello pussy cat; is there any way you’ll join me on your break instead?”

She stared at him blankly. “What can I get you?”

“Your number would be great.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know that drink. Would you like to try one of our specials?”

“Hard to get, huh? I can play that game.” He winked at her. “I’ll have a whiskey neat.”

She turned away after he finished speaking and went to get the whiskey that was by Neptune. While Blake poured the man’s drink, Neptune kept an eye on him.

“Any problems?”

“I hope not.”

“You seem more annoyed than usual.”

“He was listening to our conversation. My first-time meeting Weiss’ girlfriend and some creep has to be standing right behind them. And to top it all off, he called me pussy cat.” Blake set the bottle down and took a deep breath. “I don’t want it to be a big deal. The guy is just being a creep. Nothing I can’t handle.” Not giving him a chance to respond, Blake carried the man’s drink over to him. She placed it down in front of him, but before she could even say how much it was, he grabbed her hand. Her muscles instantly tensed as she yanked her hand back. “Don’t touch me!” she hissed through clenched teeth.

The jerk had the nerve to be offended. “Calm down, pussy cat, I just wanted to feel how soft you skin is. What time do you get out? I’d love to take you home.”

“That’s it, you’re done.” Blake looked over to see Neptune standing beside her. Reaching out, he grabbed the man’s drink and dumped it in the sink.

“What the fuck? I was just talking to her!”

“You were also touching her, which is not allowed. Now get out of here. I don’t want to ever see you here again.”

There were no words said as the man turned around and stalked off into the crowed. Blake turned to Neptune, a thank you sitting on her tongue, but all he did was smile and place his hand on her shoulder. “Go take a moment. We’ll be fine.”

Blake gave him a small smile and promised she wouldn’t be long. She quickly headed towards the stock room and once she was in the safety of all the bottles, she let out a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. This was one of the many drawbacks of working at the bar. Most of the people who showed up were regulars and had never touched her in any sort of way; but every once in a while…well the more “hands on” customers came in.

Nobody liked to be touched without their permission, and Blake was no exception. Most people could easily play it off, but with her…for a long time any kind of touch was usually bad. It had taken so many months for Blake to be comfortable with her own parents touching her. Now, she could accept hugs from them, as well as Sun, Neptune, and Weiss. They all understood and never pushed her; letting her be the one to initiate contact.

Not wanting to dwell too much on the past, she headed towards the small bathroom that was downstairs and went to touch up her make-up as well as wet a paper towel and pat her face with the cold water. She stared at her reflection, making sure nothing was out of place, before discarding the paper towel and heading back towards the bar. As soon as she walked out, she heard the familiar beat to her current favorite song. Turning towards Sun, she saw his smug smile and she couldn’t help but smile back.

There were only a handful of people who could get Blake to dance in public. Sun just happened to be one of them. He knew exactly what music to play to get Blake’s body swaying and today was no different. She had been listening to this particular song for a week on repeat and had even come up with a little dance routine (which she only did in the shower or in her room). She wouldn’t have been able to stop the swaying of her hips if she wanted to, so she didn’t. Instead, she sang along to the words while tiding up what little mess was on the counter, stopping only for a few lines so she could sing them with Sun. She went over to the register and went over all the open tabs that they had while moving her head back and forth to the beat. Her ears twitched as she heard someone approach the bar. Instead of looking up, she kept her eyes focused on her task.

“What can I get you?”

“Strawberry Sunrise, no ice. Oh, and one of those little umbrellas.”

“One special coming up.”

She turned away without looking at the woman who had ordered it. She had made this particular drink so many times yesterday that it was almost second nature as she grabbed the crème de fraise and a bottle of orange juice, they had stored with all the other mixers. Her favorite part of the second verse came on and she instinctively turned to Sun who was already staring at her and singing the words along with her. She let out a small laugh as she poured the orange juice over the crème de fraise. Tossing the bottle back in the fridge, she grabbed the grenadine and added a splash to it before grabbing a straw and a small purple umbrella.

“Here you go, one strawberry sunrise with—” Blake finally looked up at the person who ordered it and for a split second she forgot to breathe. The woman in front of her was gorgeous; from her long blonde hair to her vibrant lilac eyes. She was smiling at Blake with an amused look in her eyes; she was leaning over the counter, her arms resting against the wood. She was oozing confidence and the way she was staring at Blake had her feeling a little lost. “No ice…” she finished.

“Thanks.” The woman said smiling. “I really appreciate the small performance you gave. I wasn’t expecting entertainment while I waited.”

Blake felt her cheeks warm at her words. She looked away briefly before turning back towards those lilac eyes; they seemed to be holding her hostage. On closer inspection, she could see a small collection of freckles across the woman’s face, as well what looked to be a cut on her bottom lip. How was she able to smile so widely? It must have been uncomfortable. The woman was pulling out her wallet, getting ready to pay when Blake quickly said. “It’s on the house.”

“Huh?”

“Your drink, it’s on the house.”

“Oh, no that’s okay.”

“I insist.” Blake said firmly. She gave the blonde-haired girl a smile which made her smile widen.

“Thanks, sweetheart. Maybe later I can buy you a drink.” she said with a wink. “I’ll catch you later, kitten.”

Before Blake could respond, the woman was making her way back towards the crowd. What the hell just happened? Normally Blake would be furious that someone had called her kitten, but for some insane reason, whenever the mysterious girl said it, it was fine. There must be something wrong with her. She was still staring in the general direction that she had walked off to when Sun came and bumped her with his shoulder. He looked at her curiously, but she simply shrugged her shoulders and began wiping down the counter before her next customer came. There was something annoyingly familiar about her; like she had seen her somewhere before. Blake would have definitely remembered seeing someone as beautiful as her in person, though, so she was beginning to feel like she was going crazy.

An hour had passed before Blake was finally able to take her break. The crowd had died down a bit to where three people didn’t need to be behind the bar and Blake had volunteered herself to go on break first. Neptune had seemed annoyed, but Sun had already agreed to her request. Before leaving, she made Weiss another strawberry margarita and poured another coke for Ruby; Weiss hadn’t been up to the bar since she first arrived, and she was sure she was in dire need of another one. She made herself a cherry vodka sour, making sure to put extra cherries in her drink before setting all of them on a tray that they rarely ever used.

Walking off in the general direction that she had seen Weiss and Ruby walk towards, she was greeted by some of the regulars and had even stopped to make polite conversation with a few. Most of them were giving positive feedback about the fight and had asked if they were going to show the next one. Blake had told the truth; she wasn’t sure if they were going to but that if they did, they would promote it the same way they had with the fight from yesterday. After telling that for a fourth time, Blake was glad to see the familiar white hair of her friend. Her smile grew as she came closer to the table.

“Hey, Weiss; I brought you another one.” She spoke while looking down at the tray, making sure to grab the right drink. As she lifted it off the tray, she looked up and saw the same woman from earlier, sitting down to the right of Weiss. The woman smiled at her and Blake felt her cheeks growing warm again.

“Oh, thank the gods!” Weiss said dramatically while grabbing her drink. “Are you on break already?” Blake nodded her head while setting down Ruby’s coke on the table, earning her a thanks from the brunette. “Oh yeah, this is Yang, Ruby’s sister. Yang, this is my best friend, Blake.”

“Hey sweetheart, nice to see you again.” Yang said while extending her hand for Blake to shake.

Setting the tray down on the table, Blake extended her hand. As soon as her fingertips touched Yang’s skin, she felt a zap; she instantly pulled her hand back, looking up at Yang to gauge her reaction. Yang had the same puzzled expression that Blake was sure she had on; had she felt the zap too?

“Oh, you met?” Weiss asked curiously while sipping her drink.

“I made her drink.” Blake said, tearing her eyes away from the mesmerizing lavender gaze. Sitting down at the available chair, she grabbed her own drink and drank half of it without a second thought. Setting the cup down, she looked at Weiss and tried very hard to ignore the blonde-haired beauty sitting next to her; which was almost impossible. “How was your afternoon?”

“After leaving lunch with you, Ruby and I went to get some ice cream. After that we just hung out at Yang’s apartment.” Weiss answered while sipping on her drink. Blake nodded her head and out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Yang hadn’t taken her eyes off her.

Blake tried desperately to follow the conversation between Ruby and Weiss, but she had no idea what the hell they were even talking about. So instead, she focused on her drink before eventually pulling out her scroll and browsing her social media page. As she kept scrolling down, she stopped at a picture Sun had shared a few hours ago. There was no fucking way…

_“Yang Xiao Long Wins Match Against Sabine Lezano!”_ Sun’s personal caption was, “Lost twenty lien to Blake =( for sure thought a knockout but Blake said tap out with a RNC. Yang’s such a bad ass!” and a whole bunch of heart eye emojis.

Blake felt her jaw drop as she finally realized why Yang looked so familiar. Neptune’s and Scarlet’s stupidity was starting to rub off on her; that was the only logical explanation. Looking up towards Yang, the blonde’s attention was now focused on her own scroll.

Holy shit!

Abruptly, Blake shot out of her chair, almost knocking it over in the process. All of them turned their attention toward the cat Faunus who was hurriedly scooting the chair back under the table.

“I’ve got to go.”

“What? You just got here!”

“I’m only getting a short break. I got to go talk to Sun. I have to go. Bye, it was nice meeting you, Yang.” Blake said hurriedly while trying to avoid any further eye contact. Of course, that didn’t work.

Yang smiled at her and winked. “Likewise, sweetheart.”

She rushed away towards the bar, ignoring Weiss as she called her. Once she was behind the bar, she grabbed Sun’s arm, causing him to spill some whiskey on the floor.

“What—”

“She’s here!”

“Who’s here?” Sun asked while setting both the glass and bottle down. He turned to Blake and noticed her breathing heavily and staring off towards the direction she had just come from.

Reaching for her scroll, Blake cursed when she realized she had left it on the table. Remembering the drink specials, she pointed towards the board. “Dragon Sunrise! She’s here!”

It took Sun all of ten seconds to finally understand what Blake was talking about. “Wait a minute…_Yang Xiao Long _is at Sea Monkeys?!”

Blake nodded her head. “Weiss knows her! Weiss’ girlfriend Ruby, Yang is her sister! Oh my gosh how could I be so stupid?!”

“You mean she’s here and you didn’t even introduce me?!”

“I didn’t know it was her until I saw the picture you shared!”

With a determined look on his face, Sun threw the towel he had over his shoulder onto the bar top and began walking away. Grabbing onto his arm, Blake asked where he was going. “I’m going to have Weiss introduce us! There’s no way I’m letting Yang Xiao Long out of my bar without her signing something!”

Blake watched as he walked off toward their table, talking to a few of the regulars as he went. She would have liked to have gone, but seeing as Neptune wasn’t at the bar, she couldn’t leave it unattended. So, she turned her attention to a couple who was waiting on the drink that Sun had stopped making. Sighing heavily, Blake asked them what they had ordered and began to mix up their drinks.

Once she was done, she leaned against the countertop and thought about how stupid she was. Seriously, how had she not realized the connection? She had listened to Yang’s interview on the television on how she used her sister Ruby as a “punching bag.” How many other people had those two names? Especially here in Vale. Maybe she was under too much stress from everything going on that she couldn’t make the simple connection. Or, maybe she just hadn’t made the connection because she had only heard about Yang recently. That one time over a year ago didn’t count.

Reaching under the register, she pulled out the book she was currently reading and opened it to the page she had left off on. It was slow enough at the moment that she could read a few pages without getting interrupted. Or so she thought.

Her ears twitched as she heard someone come up to the bar and set a cup down. When she looked up, her heart began to beat faster. Yang was back and had her empty glass set down in front of her as well as the drink Blake had taken with her. Smiling at her, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out Blake’s scroll.

“You left this in your hurry to come back.” Yang explained while setting the device on the bar top.

Stepping forward, Blake picked up her scroll and gave Yang a soft thank you before returning the device to her pocket. “Would you like another drink?”

“Sure,”

Placing her bookmark back, she closed the book and set it aside before grabbing the two glasses that were on the counter. She placed them in the sink before grabbing a clean glass and began making Yang’s drink. The whole time, she could feel the blonde’s eyes on her. Once the drink was complete, she set the glass down in front of Yang. Before Blake could tell her that it was on the house, Yang had already placed money down on the counter.

“You really don’t have to pay. I told Weiss I would pay for the first two rounds so this drink still counts.” Blake stated while pushing the money back towards Yang.

“Consider it a tip then,” Yang replied while pushing it back. Blake opened her mouth, but Yang spoke before she could. “Seriously, you make a great Strawberry Sunrise.”

“I…thank you.” Blake finished lamely while placing the money in her pocket. She would put it in the tip jar later, but she didn’t want Yang to think she was being rude. Wait, did it really matter? Looking back into her eyes and seeing her smile caused Blake’s heart to jump. Wasn’t that a bad thing? Was she having heart palpitations?

“So…what were you reading before I came over here?” Yang asked curiously, sipping on her drink.

“Oh…um it’s a book about fairies and humans who hunt them.”

“I thought fairies were good?”

“In this story they’re the villains.” Blake explained. She didn’t want to get into too much detail, but Yang seemed genuinely interested. She had her elbows propped up on the table and was leaning into her hands, her eyes glued to Blake’s face as she listened to her talk. Blake talked a little more about the plot, but she didn’t want to give away the whole story.

“Aww, not even a little spoiler?” Yang teased with a grin.

Blake grinned back. “No. I don’t spoil books. Regardless of if you’ll never read it.”

“Who says I won’t?” Yang asked. Blake must have looked surprised because Yang laughed. “Don’t look so shocked, sweetheart. I do like to read every once in a while.”

After stammering out an apology, Yang laughed and waved it away as if it was nothing. They made idle chit chat, Yang asking her about her hobbies and which genre of book she liked best. Blake answered all her questions but only asked a few in return; what she thought of Sea Monkeys, if she’d ever come back, how she met Weiss. Yang assured her that she would definitely be back to drink the best Strawberry Sunrise that had ever graced her taste buds, adding in a wink for good measure. When it was time to answer Blake’s question about Weiss, Yang had said work with a shrug of her shoulders before finishing off her drink and asking for another. While she was making said drink, Sun had finally coming back from where Weiss was at and he all but screamed at the sight of Yang. Yang looked over curiously at Blake and she rolled her eyes.

“Yang, this is Sun Wukong. He’s one of the owners of Sea Monkeys.” Blake introduced her embarrassing friend.

“It’s an honor to meet you Miss. Xiao Long!” Sun said shaking her outstretched hand. “I’m a huge fan of yours!”

“I couldn’t tell. You can call me Yang; Miss. Xiao Long is too formal for my liking.” Yang said with a laugh, still shaking Sun’s hand; it would seem as if the monkey Faunus didn’t want to let go. “The pleasure is mine though. I’m really digging this place.”

Sun inhaled sharply and turned to Blake. “Did you hear her? She said she _digs _this place! Only cool people say that, Blake!”

Blake only shook her head and turned away to get some customers a beer. While she was busy closing out another couple’s tab, she could hear Sun and Yang talking about her match from yesterday and how awesome it was. Yang seemed genuinely entertained with what Sun was saying and she was laughing at all his jokes, throwing in some of her own. Finishing her task, she pulled out her book again and tried to read, but her eyes kept getting pulled back to the blonde bombshell sitting down talking to her best friend. The feeling must have been mutual, because a few times Blake caught Yang staring as well; each time their eyes met, Yang would give her a smile and Blake would look away blushing before a smile would break out across her face. It would seem as if the attraction she felt to the other woman was reciprocated.

“You know,” she heard Sun say as he poured Yang a shot of tequila. “I lost twenty lien to Blake on your fight.”

Blake’s ears twitched; she didn’t dare look up from her book to make eye contact with Yang.

“Oh? Care to explain?”

“Of course! I bet saying you were going to knock Sabine out, you know, the old one-two! But Blake over here said that you were going to get her to tap by putting her in a rear naked choke. So, I lost twenty lien but it was so worth it!”

“You didn’t mention that you knew about MMA.” Yang grinned. “Or that you even knew who I was.”

“Yeah…well I don’t follow it much anymore.” Blake said while closing her book with a sharp snap. “It was just a lucky guess. And, to be honest, I didn’t know who you were until Sun.” she placed her book under the register again and saw that Sun was giving her “the look” and Yang was just staring at her. Her gaze softened as she spoke again. “It was a really good match though. So, congratulations.”

Yang smiled once again, “Thanks, Blake.”

Oh, so maybe she did have heart palpitations. Sun and Yang continued on with their conversation and Sun pulled out his scroll so he could take a selfie with her. Yang smiled with him and held up a fist, mimicking half of her signature pose. He let her see it and began to swipe through other pictures, showing her how he had also taken a picture with Ruby and even Weiss. Yang laughed at the photos and all Blake could do was stare. It wasn’t long before Yang stood up (with a new drink that Blake had made while Yang had turned to take a picture with a fan who had recognized her) and headed back towards her table. Before she was far away, she turned back to Blake and gave her a dazzling smile and a wave before turning back around and disappearing into the crowd.

How long had it been since Blake had felt these kinds of emotions from a person? She couldn’t even remember feeling like this with him…she quickly snapped herself out of her train of thought and went back to checking stock in the beer ice chests. Her mind continued to wonder to Yang Xiao Long and all of her blonde haired, lilac eyed beauty. Blake wouldn’t lie to herself by saying that she wasn’t at least a little intrigued with her. But logic was saying that it was way too soon to even be thinking the way that she was. She didn’t want to get attached to anyone ever again. Besides, she was too broken; too damaged. And yet…

The crowd had thinned out enough so that she could see Ruby, Weiss, and Yang all sitting down together. Weiss appeared to be angry, but Blake knew her friend well enough to know that she was just trying to hold in her laughter. Ruby was too busy laughing at whatever Yang was saying and Yang was attempting to hold in her own laughter. It didn’t last long before both sisters were laughing loudly and Weiss was smiling behind her hand, trying not to let her own laugh out. Blake couldn’t take her eyes away from Yang; sensing that someone was staring, Yang looked up and made eye contact with the cat Faunus. Instead of looking away, Blake held her stare and Yang gave her another smile and a wink before resuming her conversation with the other two girls.

The longer she looked at her, the more Blake realized…she couldn’t wait to see Yang again. And that fucking scared her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact about chapter two that I forgot to put; I actually wrote most of that chapter at work on little pieces of paper. That chapter is what sparked the inspiration to write this story. I couldn't get UFC Yang out of my head so I decided to write about it and that was what I got.
> 
> The song that Blake and Sun are singing/dancing to is Love Me by The 1975. The part they sing together is "You've got a beautiful face but got nothing to say."
> 
> Also, the book that Blake is reading is actually a real book! It's called Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has been reading so far! I really do appreciate it =)


	4. Chapter Four

Last night definitely didn’t go the way she thought it would, Blake thought to herself as she drove to her parent’s house for their usual Sunday breakfast. Her mother had decided on omelets and had asked that Blake bring a bottle of champagne so they could make mimosas. Thankfully she already had the champagne she needed at home, so all she did was put on a pair of skinny jeans, her boots, and a plain black shirt before heading out in the morning light.

Turning onto her parent’s street, she pulled up along the curve and shut off the car. She was still using Sun’s vehicle since she couldn’t even get hers started. She had called the mechanic that “fixed” it, but she couldn’t get a hold of him at the mechanic shop or on his cell phone. Just her luck. She would definitely have to call Weiss and get the number of the person who she had recommended.

She sat in the car for a few more minutes, her mind going back to the events of last night. She still couldn’t believe she had met Yang Xiao Long; her dad was going to flip when she told him. Her mind once again traveled back to the blonde brawler and she couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped her lips. Shaking her head, she huffed in annoyance; what the hell was wrong with her? Had she been that obvious the whole night or was it only obvious to the people who knew her the best? She probably could have handled her emotions a little better…

_Last call was announced fifteen minutes before three A.M. Blake had gone back to the table three different times to give them all another round of drinks, and each time Yang would smile at her when she arrived and wink when she departed. On her second trip to the table, Yang asked for four shots of tequila. Weiss was really drunk at this point and cheered loudly at Yang’s order while Ruby had seemed hesitant; Yang volunteered to drink her shot if she didn’t want it._

_Once Blake brought them and set them on the table, Yang held her gaze. “Take a shot with me.”_

_Her voice had dripped with seduction; Blake couldn’t possibly say no, right? She grabbed the shot glass and all four of them (Ruby included) clinked the glasses together before shooting them back. Blake wasn’t much of a tequila drinker, but she hid it well. While they all reached for the limes she brought out, Blake silently collected the empty shot glasses. She could feel lilac eyes on her; looking up and catching Yang’s stare, the blonde asked if she needed a lime._

_Giving her a Cheshire cat smile, Blake was pleased (for some insane reason) when she saw Yang visibly swallow. “No,” she answered softly, seductively. “Thanks for the shot.” She reached out and grabbed Yang’s empty glass, letting her fingers trail softly against the girls’ hand. Blake looked briefly over to Weiss who was laughing at Ruby’s sour face. The white-haired girl pulled the brunette into a side hug and kissed her cheek. Turning her attention back to Yang, she gave her a small smile before grabbing the tray and picking it up._

_Before she could walk away, she heard her name being called; turning to face Weiss, she saw the heiress holding up four fingers. “Four starfuckers, please. You can put them on Yang’s tab.”_

_“Hey!”_

_“Starfuckers?” Ruby asked curiously._

_“Yes, they taste better than straight tequila. Plus…” she leaned into Yang. “It’s Blake’s favorite. She literally can’t say no.” Both of their gazes turned back to Blake, their eyes full of mischief._

_Blake narrowed her eyes. “Weiss, can you come with me? I want to talk to you privately.”_

_Weiss made a sound of annoyance before nudging Ruby so she could get out of her seat. Blake lead Weiss to the bar and motioned for her to follow her to the back office. Once they were inside, gold clashed with blue as they stared each other down._

_“What are you doing?” the cat Faunus demanded._

_Weiss looked at her defiantly. “I’m just trying to loosen you up a little.”_

_“While I’m at work?”_

_The white-haired girl rolled her eyes. “Two shots and one cherry vodka sour aren’t going to get you drunk.”_

_Blake shook her head. “That’s not what I’m upset about. Why did you look at me like that? Why did you tell Yang it’s my favorite shot? No bullshit, Weiss.”_

_Weiss only stared at her. “Is that what this is about, Blake? It was meant to be funny. I didn’t look at you any sort of way.”_

_Turning away from her friend, Blake inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. Feeling Weiss’ hand pressed firmly on her shoulder, Blake turned to look at her. “Sorry…I’m just…” looking away, she tried to find the right words to describe how she was feeling. “I don’t know why I’m feeling like this at all. I don’t even know her and yet I’m acting as if—” she stopped talking when she noticed Weiss’ confused expression._

_“Wait, are you talking about Yang? Because I just assumed it had to do with all the UFC madness going on around here.” Her blue eyes went wide; her frown turning into a smile. “You think Yang is attractive, don’t you?!”_

_“N-no!” she stammered out._

_“Don’t lie! Sun was telling me while he was at our table that you couldn’t take your eyes off the screen the whole time Yang’s match was going on.” Weiss gasped loudly. “You totally have a crush on Yang Xiao Long!”_

_“Oh, for fucks sake! Get out of the office!” Blake yelled while pushing Weiss out. Her face was red from embarrassment; there was no way Sun didn’t hear that. Once they made it out of the office area, Blake pushed her off to the side._

_“Don’t forget our shots!” Weiss demanded while heading back towards Ruby and Yang._

_Blake stuck her tongue out at her retreating form and turned around to see Sun grinning like an idiot and Neptune looking confused. “Don’t say anything or I will hit you.”_

_All Sun did was hold his hands up in surrender, the smile never leaving his face. And Neptune did what he did best; stared in confusion and went back to work._

A trickle of sweat is what brought her out of her memory of last night. Opening her door, she grabbed the bottles and exited the car, slamming the door shut with more force than necessary. She really hoped that her mom wasn’t watching her from the window; if she was, she had just witnessed her daughter making a fool of herself. As she walked up the sidewalk to the front door, her thoughts went back to last night. Not too long after she had made the starfuckers, she was taking them to the table when she saw the trio walking up to the bar. Ruby had explained that they had to leave since it was getting late. Noticing the shots, Ruby had apologized repeatedly, even though Blake had said it was fine. Yang had looked at the shots, back to Blake, then down once again to the pink liquid and smiled at Blake. “I’ll do two if you do two.” She had said to Blake. Not one to back down from a challenge, she grabbed one and threw it back before Yang could even pick one up. Yang had laughed and said she was cheating before doing the same; the second shot was quick to follow by Weiss’ annoyance that they didn’t even include her in taking them. Before Weiss could protest anymore, Ruby bid Blake goodnight and, surprisingly, gave Blake a quick hug. Weiss had thrown herself on the cat Faunus, nearly knocking the tray over in the process, and gave her a big hug before promising they’d get together soon to have dinner. Ruby walked away with a drunk Weiss, the heiress repeatedly telling the brunette on how much of a good friend Blake was. Blake had rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Yang, who was just staring at her with a small smile on her face.

“It was nice meeting you, Blake.” Yang had said, her smile growing wider.

“Likewise, Yang.” Blake had said quietly. Out of habit, she extended her hand to shake the blonde’s; extending her hand forward, Yang gripped Blake’s smaller hand in hers. Puzzled at the scratchy feeling against her palm, Yang gave the Faunus a wink before letting go and turning around to catch up with her sister. Looking down, she noticed a slip of paper in her hand. Carrying over the tray to the bar, she set it down and opened the paper. Written in messy handwriting, was Yang’s name and her phone number. Genuinely surprised, she looked up towards the exit, just in time to see Yang’s bright blonde hair passing through the door. Looking back down, Blake wasn’t able to wipe the smile of her face.

She hadn’t realized she reached the front door until she heard the distinct clearing of her father’s throat as he tried to grab her attention. She looked up and smiled shyly, walking inside the house before Ghira could prompt her.

“It’s nice of you to join us, Blake. We saw you sitting in Sun’s car staring off into space.” Her father teased her while grabbing the bags of champagne she had.

“I was daydreaming.” Blake answered truthfully. Her dad made a hum of acknowledgement before heading towards the kitchen where Blake could smell all the different ingredients that would be used. Following her father, she saw her mother was busy cutting up bell peppers and placing them on a paper towel. “Hey, mom.”

Kali turned to look at her daughter and smiled. “Hello, sweetheart. Did you bring the champagne?”

“It’s right here.” Ghira said while setting the bottles down on the counter.

Before Kali could even ask, Blake was already grabbing wine glasses from the cupboard. Pulling out the orange juice and an assortment of fruit, she went over to the counter and began to make their drinks. In Kali’s drink she added only strawberries but to her own she added strawberries, pineapples, and a few grape halves as well. She went over to her mother and handed the glass to her; they both clinked their glasses and took a sip. Kali hummed in approval before cutting up pieces of bacon.

“How was last night?” her mother asked as she took the cut bacon to the skillet.

“It was really great, actually.” Blake said while thinking back to a certain blonde-haired individual. “I got to meet Weiss’ new girlfriend so there’s that.”

“Weiss has a girlfriend?” Kali asked excitedly. “Oh, that’s wonderful! She should bring her over soon so we can meet her!”

“Does her father know?” Ghira asked while prepping the skillet. “I highly doubt that man is going to be very welcoming of her.”

Blake smiled as she took a sip of her own drink. “I’m sure she’ll be alright with bringing her around soon. Maybe not right away though; I don’t want you two scaring Ruby away.” Her mom made a face at her and went back to cutting more pieces of bacon. “But no dad, Jacques doesn’t know about her…he doesn’t even know that Weiss is a lesbian.”

“That man is an idiot.” Ghira growled. “He should be honored to have such a wonderful daughter like Weiss.”

“Not everyone is you, dad.” Blake said, going up to him and nuzzling his arm.

Kali nodded in agreement and they all went back to a comfortable silence as Ghira began to make their omelets. Sipping her drink, Blake watched as her parents worked around each other, never seeming to get in the others way. She had always wanted something like this. She had always wanted it to be this way with him…but things didn’t turn out that way.

Once their food was finished, they all sat down around the table and ate in comfortable silence. All that was heard was their utensils hitting the glass plates they were eating off of. Once all the food was finished and Blake and Kali had three mimosas between them, they made themselves a fourth while Ghira had another cup of coffee and they all sat down outside on the front porch swing. Blake sat in between them, and they all sat and comfortable silence.

Once again, the cat Faunus’ thoughts turned back to Yang. What was it about her that had her front and center of her mind? The was no way she should be thinking of her this often since she had barely met her the night before. Maybe Blake was just lonely. She refused to think of it as anything more than that. She wasn’t even sure of the emotions going through her, so she decided to just let her mind wonder freely. She thought of Sun and Neptune, on how their business was going extremely well. She thought of Weiss and how the heiress was fairing trying to learn the ins and outs of her family’s company. Her mind even wondered to the sadistic asshole she had once called her boyfriend, but she didn’t let it stay there for long. Blake only wanted to focus on the positives that were going on in her life. She thought about how much she loved working at the bar and how she enjoyed meeting new people. It was something she often found odd; she wasn’t at all a people person, but as soon as she stepped behind the bar top, she became a completely different person. She was confident and sure of herself, flirty and friendly. Most of the time anyways. Her thoughts once again went back to Yang and how she seemed to completely catch her off guard. It must have been the eyes; Blake had never seen such a beautiful shade of lilac; not even of any Faunus that she knew. She had never really been into blondes, but for some reason…she couldn’t look away from the color as Yang had talked to Ruby and Weiss. There was just something about her that drew Blake in like a moth to a flame.

“Hey dad,” Blake spoke. She was a little surprised that she had even spoke at all; she hadn’t planned on bringing this up. “Guess who I met yesterday.”

“Who?”

“Yang Xiao Long.” She turned to look at her father, and the look on his face was…hard to read.

“You met Yang Xiao Long? Where at?”

“At Sea Monkeys. She’s Weiss’ girlfriend’s sister.” The look on his face didn’t leave as he continued to study her. “What is it?”

“I thought you were going to leave all of that behind you. After what happened with—”

“Ghira,” Kali warned. “All she said was that she met her.”

Ghira sighed and leaned back in his seat. He didn’t speak for a while and Blake let him sit in silence. Her mother placed a hand on her arm and gave a light squeeze before taking a sip of her drink. Was it really a bad thing that she met Yang? She didn’t know too much about her to say if it was good or bad, but maybe her father knew and that’s why he seemed upset. She also knew it partially had to do with him…

“Blake,” her father began. “I want you to know that I don’t think it’s a bad thing that you met Miss. Xiao Long; from what I’ve heard she’s a very talented young woman. My main issue is what her chosen career is.”

“Dad, I’m not thinking about dating her or anything.” She replied. “I was just telling you that I met her, and she seems really nice. I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of her since she’s Ruby’s sister and Weiss and she are dating.”

“I think it’s good that you’re meeting new people, regardless of what they do for a living.” Kali interjected before it could become an argument. “Not everyone is him, Ghira.”

Ghira only sighed as he was clearly outnumbered. He moved his arm to rest behind Blake and pulled her into a side hug before kissing her temple. After the show of affection was over, she sat back up and the Belladonna’s sat in silence once again. Blake knew her parents were only concerned about her well-being. They just wanted to make sure that she was happy and safe in all of her relationships. Blake loved her parents so much and it meant so much to her that they were looking after her. Although, sometimes it did become a little overbearing. But, no matter. She was content with how things were. For now.

~*~*~*~

_“I am so hungover that I literally can’t even look at my scroll. It’s way too bright.”_

Blake had her scroll pressed against her ear as she continued to read the book that she had been reading last night at the bar. She listened as Weiss groaned about how she shouldn’t drink so much, and that Blake was a horrible friend for letting her. “If I recall,” Blake said as she flipped the page. “You weren’t complaining after every margarita Sun would bring you or all the shots you took. So, it’s not my fault.”

_“You’re the bartender! Aren’t you supposed to cut me off once I’ve had too much?”_

“You kept saying you were fine, and you weren’t getting violent so there was no reason to cut you off.” She readjusted her scroll as it began to slip from her shoulder. “Plus, if I remember correctly, you had told Ruby that I was ‘the best friend ever.’”

_“Curse you and your super hearing.” _There was a short pause and some rustling from the other line as Weiss rolled over in her bed (she had told Blake there was no way in hell she was getting up yet). _“So, I heard a certain someone gave you their number last night.”_

“Wait,” Blake implored, stopping her reading. “She told you?”

_“No, Ruby did. She was saying that Yang’s been sulking all morning because a certain girl hasn’t text her.”_

Blake leaned back against her headboard, her book temporarily forgotten and placed to the side. “Why would she be sulking? Yang doesn’t even know me!”

_“You both seemed to have liked each other. I’ve never seen you get so flustered like the way you were last night. Especially at work.”_

She was going to deny it, but there was no point. Weiss was right; usually while she was working, she could fake confidence with ease. But with Yang there… “I hate when you’re right.”

_“So, you do find her attractive?”_

“Of course, I do! You’d have to be blind to not find her attractive.”

_“Hmm, she’ll be thrilled to know that.”_

“Don’t even go there, Weiss.” Blake warned. “All I said was that she was attractive. Nothing else.”

_“Yeah, sure.” _She could hear how unconvinced Weiss was. _“Give her a text just so she at least has your number. It’s important to me that you get to know Yang. We’ve grown close the last few years we’ve known each other. Anyways, I’ve got to go. I have four missed calls from my father and two from Whitely. I’ll call you later.”_

“Bye, Ice Queen.” The line disconnected shortly after and Blake gave a small smile as she set her scroll on the bedside table. Her smile vanished completely as she spotted the piece of paper that had Yang’s number written on it. Picking up said paper, she stared at it, trying to figure out if she really wanted to text her. There really was no harm in it, right?

Picking up her scroll, she created a new contact page and entered in Yang’s information. She was going to start composing a message when she heard voices coming from the kitchen. Curiosity getting the better of her, Blake got up from her bed and opened up her bedroom door. When she peeked outside, she saw Sun and Neptune sitting down at the dining table. They both seemed to be arguing; normally Blake wouldn’t interfere, but when she heard her name, she had to find out what exactly was going on.

“Hey...is everything okay?”

“Blake!” Sun said surprised. He stood up quickly from the table, knocking the chair over in the process. “Hey uh, I forgot you were here!”

She looked at him curiously. “You literally went into my room earlier to yell at Weiss over the phone since she’s hungover.”

“Oh yeah,” he laughed nervously. “I uh forgot.”

Blake looked back at forth between the two of them. Sun was looking nervous and wouldn’t make eye contact while Neptune was staring between his scroll and Sun. “Alright, what’s going on?”

Sun finally looked at her and then back at Neptune before sighing. “Can you sit down at least? I think you might need to.”

Feeling nervous, she walked over to the table and sat down. Sun had finally fixed the chair that he had knocked down and was sitting down in front of Blake. Neptune had set his scroll down and had his eyes closed while Sun was staring at her. He opened her mouth to speak but Neptune beat him to it.

“Blake...this morning while me and Sun were looking at our social media page for the bar, we noticed that we have gotten a lot more likes and a lot more publicity from showing the UFC fights. There were also a lot of pictures that Yang Xiao Long was in, tagging her here at Sea Monkeys. So, me and Sun were talking about having another UFC event here.”

“That’s great!” Blake said excitedly. Judging from their faces, she figured there was a catch. “Is that not good?”

Sun rubbed the back of his neck, breaking eye contact with her. He looked over at Neptune before sighing heavily. “The thing is Blake…the next UFC match is going to be...his title match.” He finally looked back at her and noticed that she had gone slightly paler than she usually was. “Blake?”

“It’s…” she couldn’t finish her sentence. She stood up from the table, keeping her head down. “I need to be alone for a while.”

Sun and Neptune didn’t say anything, they both watched as Blake retreated to her room, to where the dark thoughts that were swimming through her head were already beginning to surface. Once she was inside her room, she went and sat down on her bed as the memories she had suppressed suddenly came rushing back to her.

It had been ten months, three weeks, and two days since she last saw him in person. Although, he regularly starred in her nightmares. He was the reason for her anxiety and her inability to trust people; even people who were the closest to her. For six years, he was the one who tore her down into nothing and made her feel worthless; made her feel like she was a nobody. If it wasn’t his words, it was his fists that also got the memo across. How many times had she used make-up to cover the bruises on her face? For years she only wore long-sleeves and jackets to cover her arms; jeans to cover the bruises on her legs. Her once vibrant golden eyes had become dull and lifeless as the years went on. It wasn’t until he beat her so severely that she finally left. She can still hear him just moments before he left their shared apartment, his promise to hurt whoever she was with next if she were to ever leave him.

Her next breath came out as a sob as the image of him she tried so hard to suppress came rushing to her memory all at once. His dark auburn hair, black, pointed horns on the top of his head, his piercing blue eyes always looking at her with cruel and evil intentions. His mouth always set in a permanent scowl. His hands always clenched into fists; his posture tense and intimidating. Oh yes, this image of him was seared into her mind. She pulled her knees up and hugged them to her body as the sobs racked her body. His name came filtering into her mind before she could stop it, and she couldn’t suppress the shudder that rocked her even if she wanted to. The very mention of his name would bring her to her knees in fear; make her cave into herself, almost as if she was fending off the coming blows from powerful kicks.

Adam Taurus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it got a little dark at the end there, but it's all for the story. How is everyone enjoying it so far? I get so excited when I see comments and kudos so thank you for everyone who has done both!
> 
> Tonight I'm going to see the Jonas Brothers! I've been a fan of them since I was like fifteen and I'm twenty eight now so yeah lol a long time.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I really hope that you are enjoying this story =)


	5. Chapter Five

Blake didn’t go to work that afternoon. Instead, she stayed in her room staring at the ceiling for hours. Her scroll kept lighting up with text messages, but she couldn’t even be bothered to see who it was that was texting her. It was probably Weiss, but she didn’t feel like dealing with her. She figured it was her bugging her about texting Yang, but the fear of Adam kept her from finding out.

Just thinking his name made her flinch. Her back was sore from being hunched in one spot for hours. Sun came to check on her a few times – the first time she was still on the floor; he helped her get into bed and brushed her hair from her face before leaving – and each time she could tell that he felt bad for springing this on her. He even went as far as to say that he would cancel the event, but Blake only shook her head no. Once she found her voice, she would explain to him that this bar was his source of income; the way he and Neptune were making a living. She couldn’t let what had happened to her get any more in the way than it already had.

She finally found the strength to move, but it was only to lay on her side and curl up into herself. Her scroll was right in her face and it once again illuminated the room. She saw her mom’s picture on the screen; she instantly grabbed her scroll and answered.

“Mom?” she asked in a small voice.

_“Oh, Blake. Sun called me and told me what happened. Are you okay? Do you need me to go over?”_

Blake began to cry at hearing the concern in her mom’s voice. After she had left him, she had quarantined herself to this very bedroom; not leaving unless it was to use the bathroom. She didn’t shower for almost a week; the injuries she had sustained had almost gotten infected. They would have, if Sun hadn’t called her mother and asked her to come over. Blake had been furious at the time; she hadn’t wanted her mom to see her this way. Up until then, her parents hadn’t even known Adam’s true nature. It wasn’t until her mom came into her bedroom, that Blake realized she hadn’t fooled her at all. Kali didn’t ask any questions as she went and switched on the light. She had pulled out her scroll and taken photos of the damage Adam had done. After that was done, she set to work on cleaning Blake’s injuries, not saying a word. Even after she had finished and had thrown all the soiled bandages away, all her mother did was hold her as Blake sobbed.

“Yes,” she heard herself answering. “Please come.”

Twenty minutes later, Blake was wrapped in her mother’s embrace and her tears once again fell as her mother brushed her bangs away from her face and pet behind her cat ears that were pinned back. No words were said as she continued to stroke her hair and make noises of comfort. They stayed that way for an hour until Blake was finally ready to speak.

“His fight is coming up and Sun and Neptune want to show it. I hadn’t thought about him in so long that thinking about it now made me have an attack.” Blake said through sniffles. “I don’t want them to cancel the fight; this is how they make their money. I won’t watch it and I’ll just come in later to help them clean up the bar. I just…I’m not ready. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.”

“And that’s fine, Blake.” Kali said softly while continuing to brush her hair back. “You went through such a traumatic ordeal. If you aren’t ready, then you aren’t ready. Only you get to decide that, kitten.”

Blake held onto her mother tighter, finding comfort in her words and her warmth. They stayed like this until Kali made her get up and shower. Standing under the spray, she let the warmth of the water heat up her cold skin. When she finally got out, Kali set out some clothes for her to change into. Wearing a pair of comfy pajama bottoms and a plain white tank top, she made her way towards the kitchen where her mother had a cup of tea waiting for her and was making Blake something to eat. Sitting down, she watched as her mom finished making her a sandwich and brought it over to her.

“Thanks, mom.” Blake said while trying to speak over the lump in her throat. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“You don’t ever have to know that.” Kali said while kissing between her ears. “So long as I’m alive, I’ll always be here for you baby.”

Kali stayed long enough to make sure that Blake ate her sandwich and drank her tea before leaving. She made Blake promise to call her later on that evening and with Blake’s promise ringing in her ears, Blake watched her mom leave. Folding her arms, she began to rub them to try and keep the warmth from her mother’s hug. She shuffled her way back towards her room and picked up her scroll that she had left on the bed. Looking through her messages, she had a few from Weiss asking her if she was alright and to call her whenever she got the chance.

Dialing her number, it rang a few times before going to voicemail. She figured she was in a meeting or just not around her scroll, so Blake didn’t bother leaving a voicemail. Instead, she sent her a quick text letting her know to call her back whenever before she grabbed a light sweater and some sandals. She made her way down to the bar where the night was just getting started. Peeking out from behind the office door, she spotted Neptune and when she finally managed to make eye contact with him, he was shocked to see her out of bed. She motioned for him to come into the office and she sat down in the chair while waiting for him.

“Hey,” he said while leaning against the door frame. “Is everything okay?”

“No, not really.” She answered truthfully. Looking up at him, she could see how concerned he was for her. “Look…I just want to tell you that I don’t want you to cancel the event. I know Sun had mentioned it…but I don’t want you to.” Neptune looked at her skeptically, but she continued. “This is how you guys make money. I can’t ask you to do this for me. I just…won’t work that night. I know it’ll be a busy night, but I also know that you guys understand why I wouldn’t be able to. Instead I’ll come after and help clean up or even work the last few hours. I don’t want this to come between us because of my past. I just…I just want you to know that I don’t want things to change because of me. And I’m sorry that this is happening but—”

“Blake, stop.” Neptune interrupted. He sighed heavily and looked at her. “It was my idea to cancel the event. I know how hard this must be for you…and I wasn’t thinking when I set this whole thing up.” he went and sat down next to her; carefully, he grabbed her hand and held it before continuing. “We really won’t do it, if you decide it’s too much. The last thing I want is to make you hurt more than you already are. The match isn’t until next month; we still haven’t even announced that we might be showing it. I just want you to be comfortable here.”

“I…” Blake didn’t know what to say. She felt the tears fall from her eyes and she quickly turned away to try and hide them. Neptune saw, and he reached over with his free hand to grab some tissues that were on the desk. Handing them to her, Blake began to dry the tears that had spilled out. “Is it alright if I think about it?”

“Of course, Blake.” He gave her a smile, a real smile. “Take whatever time you need. We love you, and we want you to be able to enjoy both working and living here. That being said…” His smile disappeared and he gave her a stern look. “You better not call in tomorrow. How are you supposed to pay us rent if you don’t work?”

Blake laughed at that. “I’ll be here tomorrow bright and early.” She stood up then and Neptune did as well. She gave him a brief hug before pulling back to look at him. “Thank you, Neptune. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without either of you.”

“Anytime, Blake.” He gave her a smile and squeezed her hand before letting go. “Now, I gotta go make sure my boyfriend isn’t giving free shots like he was the last time.”

Again, Blake laughed and watched with an amused expression as he made his way back to the bar. Wiping her eyes again, she threw the tissues away and made her way back to her bedroom. Leaning against the door frame, she squared her shoulders and reached for her scroll. She had another text from Weiss, saying that she’d call her later on in the evening.

Going through her contacts, she found Yang’s number. Hesitantly, she hit the “message” button underneath her name and watched as it pulled up a blank text message. Her fingers hovered over the keypad; what should she write? Should she just put hello or did that sound to formal? Was simply putting hey to informal? Sighing in frustration, she set her scroll down and lay back into her blankets. Waiting a few hours more wouldn’t hurt any, she thought as she picked up the book she was currently reading. Besides, who’s to say that Yang Xiao Long hadn’t already forgotten about her.

Making up her mind, Blake continued reading, letting the soothing sound of the heavy bass from downstairs drown out her thoughts of all her problems.

~*~*~*~*~

Two weeks had passed since Blake had her break down. A few days after everything was settled, she let Sun and Neptune know that she was fine with them showing the fight; she would simply stay at her parents’ house until it was time to clean and take stock of everything they would need for the next week. Sun wasn’t so sure that they should even have it, but after a brief talk with Neptune, he relented.

The whole plan was set in motion and Blake watched as Scarlet and Sage began hanging up posters of the fight. They chose to put up posters that didn’t have pictures of Adam on them, and Blake was grateful for that. Sun and Neptune came up with the drink specials and for the most part, Blake stayed out of their way. She was finally back to working nights and was back in the swing of things.

It was a slow Wednesday night and Blake was reading a new book that she had bought the day before. She was trying really hard to read, but her mind kept replaying to the last time she had spoken to Weiss. The white-haired heiress had finally returned her call and had been livid. Blake had to listen to her rant for five minutes on how both Sun and Neptune were jerks for even thinking about putting her in that position. After she was done, Blake had to tell her that she was thinking about letting them go through with it, in which that started another long rant about how Blake shouldn’t let them bully her into it.

“I’m not letting them bully me into it.” Blake had argued. “This is how they make money, Weiss. Besides, I’m not going to be here. I’ll probably go to my parents’ house or maybe go see a movie or something.”

_“That’s not the point!” _Weiss had argued. _“I just…I don’t want you to go back to how you were when you’ve made so much progress!”_

Blake hadn’t known what to say to that. Instead, she sighed heavily and let Weiss know that she was tired and wanted to sleep. Knowing that she had said something wrong, Weiss managed to give a curt goodnight before hanging up. Blake knew she meant well, but she also knew that Weiss didn’t fully understand what setback this would be for Sun and Neptune.

They hadn’t spoken to each other since then. Blake had sent her a text informing her that they were going to show the fight after all; Weiss had read the message but never wrote back to her. She would come around eventually.

Looking up from her book, she made sure that no one needed her attention before returning her gaze to the novel she was trying to reading. The romantic interest of the book had turned out to be a blond-haired hunk and Blake was finding it rather difficult not to picture another blonde that she knew. She felt like such a jerk; it had been almost a month since Yang had given Blake her number, but she still couldn’t figure out what exactly to say. Now, it felt like it was too late. There was no way she’d want to hear from her. Sighing, she placed her bookmark on her current page and closed the book, setting it under the register. She quickly took stock of what was in the freezers.

As she was making mental notes on what beer she’d have to get next, her left ear twitched as Sun came behind the bar and set some dirty glasses in the sink. “So, I have some news to tell you.”

“What is it?” she asked without looking at him.

“There’s a UFC match coming up this weekend.”

“Really?” Blake asked while closing the current freezer and going towards the next one; Sun followed her.

“Yup! And a certain blonde has a match that night.”

She couldn’t stop her ear from twitching at the mention of Yang. She finally turned to look at him and saw that he was excited and also a little apprehensive. Blake couldn’t blame him, really. “It’s not a title match or anything, is it?”

“Nah, just a regular match. I think she’s going to be fighting some girl from Vacuo, but I don’t know for sure. But the reason on why I’m bringing it up is because we’re going to watch it at Neptune’s apartment. I already got the usual day crew to cover for us so we can watch it. Afterwards we’re gonna come back to the bar and have a night off to relax and have fun.”

“So, by ‘we’ you mean?”

“Us, Neptune, Scarlet, and Sage.” Sun listed. His tail flicked behind him as he stared at her. “Look, I feel really bad about putting you in this position in the first place. I know that if I would have never brought up this whole MMA stuff, you wouldn’t have broken down like you did. I just want you to have a night off to enjoy yourself.”

“And you think I’m going to enjoy myself by watching a UFC match?”

“I know you’re going to enjoy yourself because you’ll be watching Yang. Nah-ah don’t give me that look! I noticed how you couldn’t keep your eyes off her that night she came to the bar. I saw it every time she turned to look at you while we were talking.”

Blake looked away from him and bit her bottom lip. She really wasn’t sure on what to do. She sighed. “When is the match?”

“The day after tomorrow.” Sun answered. “We’ll order some food and drink some beer. Hell, I’ll even buy you a shirt to wear.”

She made a face at him. “Please don’t do that.”

“What, don’t want a shirt with your future girlfriends’ face on it?” he teased.

“I will literally hurt you if you don’t stop talking.” Blake said while glaring at him. He stuck his tongue out at her and she gave a small smile.

“It’ll be fun, I promise.” Sun said earnestly. “You’ll hang out with your favorite people and watch the girl you’re crushing on kick some ass. It’ll be great.”

The more she thought about it, the more Blake wanted to do it. It had been so long since the five of them had any sort of fun together. Ever since the bar took off, nights out had happened less often since they were always working. So, a night off might be just what they all needed. She couldn’t even remember the last time they all just hung out and had fun together.

“Fine,” she agreed. Sun began clapping excitedly and wrapped her in a loose one-armed hug, his tail also curling around her. “But I do not want a shirt with Yang’s face on it!”

~*~*~*~*~

“What the hell is that?” Blake asked while standing in the doorway to Neptune’s apartment.

“It’s your shirt for tonight.” Sun said from behind the material. Lowering it, he looked at her with a smirk. “You don’t like it?”

“I told you not to get me anything with her face on it!” Blake glared at him while crossing her arms.

“Oh, come on! It’s a nice shirt!” he threw it at her face, and she caught it before it fell on the floor. “I even got it in your favorite color. I could have been a dick and got it in yellow.”

“You’re a dick because you got it at all.” Blake mumbled while walking inside the apartment. Scarlet was sitting on the couch on his scroll and she could hear Neptune and Sage in the kitchen. Holding up the shirt, she saw that it was Yang with her fists pressed together and she was winking and had her usual smirk; her golden hair was down and loose around her shoulders. Sighing, she slipped the shirt on over her plain black tank top and tucked the front part of the shirt into her blue jean shorts.

“Well, well, look what the cat dragged in.” Scarlet said while still looking at his scroll.

“Bite me, Scarlet.”

“You know I will.” He said with a wink.

Rolling her eyes, she went and sat down next to him; he automatically lifted his arm and Blake went to rest against him. Even though they constantly bickered, he was always there to lend her his warmth. Most people didn’t take Scarlet seriously because of the way he acted. For some, he was a little too flamboyant and “high maintance” but for their group, he was just right. He didn’t look up from his scroll as they sat there in silence and Blake closed her eyes and listened as everybody was talking and setting up for the night.

The first match was currently going on and Blake wasn’t sure when exactly Yang was supposed to fight, but she figured one of the guys would let her know. For now, she would simply enjoy their company. Sage brought the food out and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat before he went to go sit on the armchair. Neptune and Sun came out next with beers for all of them as well as two boxes of pizza. They sat down on the sofa with Blake and Scarlet and they all began to eat.

“Yang’s match is after this one.” Sun explained while scarfing down a slice of pepperoni and sausage. “She’s going up against some girl from Vacuo; I think her name is Zara or something like that. She’s new this year.”

“They’re putting a rookie up against the champion?” Neptune asked while taking a swig of his beer. “That hardly seems fair.”

“You have to start somewhere.” Sage said while eating a wing.

Blake said nothing as she continued to eat her pizza. She couldn’t help but think about Yang; they were only waiting to see her match. She had the sudden urge to text her and wish her luck, but she didn’t want to break her focus. Even the smallest of interruptions could ruin the flow of concentration. The current match ended with a tap out and they all watched as the winner began to thank all of his supporters and his coach. He left the octagon soon after and it cut to a commercial.

“So, Blake, want to make another bet?” Sun asked with amusement.

“Not interested, Wukong. The last bet we made ended with me having to work the day shift and it completely fucked up my schedule.”

“Scaredy cat.” He mumbled.

“Shut it, monkey boy.”

The rest of the commercial break consisted of Sun and Blake going back and forth over Blake’s lack of interest in making a bet. The others threw in a few jabs, but Blake was adamant on not betting anything. By the time the commercials ended Sun was slouching down on the couch and Blake had a small smile of amusement across her face.

The lights in the arena dimmed as the announcer began to rattle off Zara’s stats and weight. She came into the arena with some horrible sounding pop song playing in the background and she was wearing a cocky smile that just rubbed Blake the wrong way. She was walking slowly in time with the tempo and was ignoring everyone who was trying to get her attention. Scarlet was booing her, saying that he would only cheer for “Blake’s future girlfriend” and even though he was now sporting a bruised arm, he continued to boo Zara.

Once Zara made it passed inspection, she was standing in the Octagon, bouncing around on the balls of her feet, the cocky smile still plastered on her face. The announcers were still going on about how good she was, but their commentary was cut off when the lights once again turned off and the arena exploded in cheer.

The familiar start of Yang’s song began to play, and Blake felt her pulse pick up. She often times would listen to the song while she was in the shower; usually just because it would come on in passing. But hearing it now, in this context, was a completely different experience. She heard the familiar sound of Weiss’ voice and her eyes never left the screen as the cameras focused on Yang Xiao Long walking down the long hallway towards the arena.

The blonde had her long hair pulled up into a tight bun; none of her hair was out of place and she had a smile on her face. Once she made it passed the double doors, she began to give high fives to some of the fans that were standing close to the edge. Her smile never left her face as she made it to inspection and once she was there, she looked into the camera and bumped her fists together in her signature pose before winking. She removed her orange robe and handed it to her coach – Taiyang – before turning towards the man who would inspect her hands and the rest of her clothes.

Yang was wearing black, as was the custom for the current champion. She put her mouth guard in and gave a final look to her father before stepping into the Octagon where an overconfident Zara was waiting for her. They stood in front of each other, Yang confident and cool; Zara cocky and arrogant. The announcers introduced the referee and moments later, the bell rang, and the match began. Yang moved forward to bump her fists with her opponent, but Zara moved back and gave Yang a smirk before she began dancing around the ring.

Scarlet booed her again and began cheering Yang on. Blake’s eyes stayed focused on Yang as they began to move around the ring. Every time Yang tried to get close to her, Zara moved away. Blake was watching Zara’s every move; she could tell that she was hesitant and that all her bravado was false. She honestly couldn’t blame her though; Yang was a powerhouse and she could kick ass.

The first five minutes was spent with Zara keeping just out of reach of Yang. The blonde brawler managed to hit her a few times, but most of it was spent being just out of her reach. The boys were all booing the television and Blake was sipping her beer while they took a break between matches. Yang looked upset; it was fairly obvious on why she was so angry. No doubt she was getting frustrated with all the dancing Zara was doing, but there was no way she could land a hit on her if she kept moving out of the way. By the time the second match started, Zara was doing more or less the same thing and Blake watched as Yang’s frustration became more pronounced.

When she reached out to swing, Blake noticed that it was much more focused and powerful than before. Hmm…

“Hey, Sun…want to make a bet?”

“Are you serious?” Scarlet asked. “After all that arguing about how you didn’t want to lose again _now _you want to make a bet?”

Blake gave him a look in which he rolled his eyes before the cat Faunus turned her attention back to Sun; he was already smiling. “What did you have in mind?”

“Knock out by round three.”

“Knock out, huh? Alright, alright. I say tap out by the end of this round.”

“Twenty lien and the loser has to clean out the ice box for the next two weeks.”

Sun made a face but shook her hand anyways. “Deal! I hope you’re ready to lose!”

Blake gave him a Cheshire cat smile before turning her attention back to the screen. If they made it towards the end of the round, Sun would have already lost. There was only three minutes left of the match and it was probably the longest three minutes of her life. The ding of the bell signaling the end of the match was drowned out by Sun’s long groan of frustration. Pulling out his wallet, he handed Blake twenty lien and huffed out his annoyance.

Soon, the third and final match was starting, and they all watched, none of them making a sound as Zara once again danced around the ring. Blake could see Yang’s patience begin to wane as the minutes ticked on. Zara was still managing to stay out of her reach and even though Yang was trying her hardest to get closer, Zara always seemed to be just out of reach. The brunette fighter managed to land a hit on Yang before dancing away, a cocky smirk plastered to her face. The change was sudden and quick, and if Blake hadn’t been paying so close attention to Yang, she would have missed it. As soon as the punch hit, Yang had blinked once and when her eyes opened once again, they were now a vivid shade of red. Blake leaned back into her seat startled but the movement seemed to go unnoticed as the boys all began to cheer louder.

“What...just happened?” Blake finally asked.

“When Xiao Long gets mad her eyes turn red. That's when you know shit is about to get real!” Sun exclaimed while cheering again.

Yang was finally tired of the dancing game and her patience finally paid off. She went in for the kill.

Zara got a little too close to Yang, and Yang didn’t hesitate as she punched Zara in the face, stunning her opponent. One more punch to Zara’s face and she went down, her body limp. The referee quickly called the match and put himself between Yang and Zara. The crowd (as well as Scarlet) began to scream and cheer as Yang held up one fist in the air, her smile wide from victory. Her eyes had changed back to lilac soon after the match was called.

Walking towards the side of the Octagon, Yang gave a fist bump to her dad from between the fencing. Once they were done checking over Zara, they had both girls stand in the center of the arena.

The announcer began to speak: _“And the winner of tonight’s match, by way of knock out…YANG XIAO LONG!”_

“Fuck yeah! Fuck you, bitch!” Scarlet yelled at the TV while Yang went and shook hands with Zara who was refusing to make eye contact with the blonde. Once she was cleared from the Octagon, the announcer pulled Yang back for the usual after match interview.

_“Miss. Xiao Long, how are you feeling after that match?”_

_“I’m feeling pretty great actually.”_

_“What was going through your mind during the match?”_

_“Just that I knew Zara was going to be a fun opponent and that she was going to give me a good fight.”_

_“There seemed to be a lot of dancing around, how do you handle that?”_

_“I just try the best I can and hope that I’ll come out victorious in the end, and I did!” she laughed into the microphone._

_“It was an amazing knockout victory!” the announcer said. “Is there anything you’d like to say?”_

_“As always I want to thank my dad and uncle for being amazing coaches and for supporting me. Thank you to Ruby and Weiss; you’re the best friends and sister I could ever have!” she began waving to the crowd but before the announcer could do his outro, she moved back towards the mic. “Oh! One last thing! I want to give a shout out to Sea Monkeys Bar for having the most incredible drink specials. And also, a special shout out to a certain bartender who makes the most purr-fect Strawberry Sunrises!” Yang said with a wink and a laugh. She said a cheerful goodbye to the announcer and began walking towards the exit._

They all watched the screen in ranges from shock to amusement. The most shocked being Blake; the most amused being Scarlet.

“Did she seriously just make a cat pun about Blake?” Scarlet said with a smirk.

“Did she seriously just give a shout out to our bar?!” Sun exclaimed while smacking Neptune’s leg enthusiastically.

Blake said nothing as she continued to stare at the screen. She should be offended; she should never want to see her again. She should delete her number and tell Weiss that she never wanted to see that blonde brute ever again. And yet…

Grabbing her scroll, she went down to Yang’s number and sent two sentences.

**Me:** _I saw your match; congratulations. As for your pun…if I really had nine lives, I would have used one to off myself._

By the time she had hit send, Yang was already gone from the screen and the TV was showing the commentators sitting down and discussing the match. Standing up, she ignored the guys as they all began talking about the next match. Blake honestly didn’t care anymore since Yang’s fight was over, but she knew they wouldn’t leave until the last match was done. Heading towards the kitchen, she was grabbing a cup to make herself a drink when she heard her scroll going off. There was a message from Yang.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Kitty has claws I see._

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Its nice to hear frm u Blake. I wasnt sure if ud txt bck._

Hmm…that grammar was definitely a problem. Blake thought while she began replying to her message.

**Me:** _I just might stop seeing as how you can’t spell. Too many hits to the head?_

Was that too mean? It definitely seemed mean. Maybe she shouldn’t have – _DING!_

**Yang Xiao Long:** _LOL dam kitten. U rly r feisty. Sry its easier to txt lke this while im walking._

Well that makes sense. But still…

**Me:** _Oh good. It’s nice to know you’re smart but only when you’re standing still._

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Wooow Blake. Weiss was definitely right about you. Any plans for tonight?_

Wait…Weiss was right about what? Looking up from her scroll, she barely registered that the next fight had already started and they boys were cheering on one of the fighters. Had Weiss really talked about her to Yang? She kind of figured she might have been brought up a few times, but what exactly did Weiss say that would make Yang say that?

**Me:** _Right about me how?_

**Me:** _Me and the guys will be heading to Sea Monkeys once all the fights are done. Any particular reason on why you’re asking?_

**Yang Xiao Long:** _All in good time, kitten. But I’ve got to go. Text you later?_

Feeling slightly annoyed, Blake set her scroll down and finally went to work on making a drink. Not feeling like drinking anything fancy, she put some ice in the cup she picked out and filled it with whiskey. Taking a sip, she lifted her phone again and wrote her reply.

**Me:** _Sure, but only if you tell me what you meant._

**Yang Xiao Long:** _LOL talk to you later sweetheart._

“That wasn’t an answer.” Blake said aloud while taking a larger drink then filling it back up. “Jerk.”

“Hey, Blake, are you gonna watch this next fight?” Neptune asked while heading towards the fridge to grab another beer.

“No, I think I’m just gonna drink a little and read. When are we heading to the bar?”

“After this match,” he answered while popping open his beer. “None of us care for the fighters in the last match.”

Blake took a sip of her drink as she watched Neptune rejoin the others. Looking at her scroll, she reread the text messages that Yang had sent her. What had Weiss meant? Well…she could always text Weiss to find out.

** Me:** _Weiss, what exactly did you tell Yang about me?_

After hitting send, she took another sip of her drink and began to browse absentmindedly on her scroll. After ten minutes and no reply, Blake sighed heavily and sent her another text saying that they would be at Sea Monkeys in about an hour and that she and Ruby were more than welcome to join them again if they wanted. Grabbing the whiskey bottle, she poured herself another drink and sipped, her mind once again wondering back to a certain blonde. Deciding then and there, she was definitely not going to end this night sober.

~*~*~*~

They arrived at Sea Monkeys a little after eleven o’clock. They hadn’t even been inside the bar for five minutes when Velvet called them over and said that she and Coco (who had volunteered to help for the night) needed extra help since there were more people than expected. Scarlet was already drunk since both he and Neptune began to slam back shots of tequila while still at Neptune’s apartment, so they were both out of the question. Sage didn’t know how to mix drinks and he only worked as a bouncer; he was also unofficially tasked to make sure that Scarlet didn’t get into any trouble while he was drunk. Sun had a decent buzz going on and even though Blake had quite a few whiskey drinks, she was probably the most sober out of all of them, but sober was probably a stretch.

So, Blake selflessly volunteered herself to help. Which is how she found herself behind the bar, making margaritas for a bunch of giggling girls (who she double checked all of their I.D.s just to be sure that they were even allowed to drink) when she should be getting drunk with her friends. Sighing, she got the next persons order and went to grab the three beers that they ordered. Placing them down, she made quick work of getting their change and handing it back to them before doing the same with the next person in line.

“Hey, Blake, do we still have everything we need for strawberry sunrises? Someone asked for it.” Velvet asked while grabbing a beer out of the cooler next to her.

“I think so. I just have to go back and check really quick.” Blake said while setting down the vodka rocks the man had ordered. “Did you want me to make it for you?”

“Yeah that’d be great, thanks!” Velvet gave her a smile before heading back to her section of the bar.

A quick search in the storeroom and Blake came back with three bottles of the crème de fraise. She set to work on making the drink and even managed to find some leftover umbrellas from the last time they had the drink as a special. “Velvet, here’s the drink you wanted.”

“Can you take it to them? They’re at the far end of the bar.” Velvet said while measuring out some alcohol.

Picking up the drink, she walked in the general direction of where Velvet had said. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the person who was sitting down at the very last stool. Her blonde hair was still up in a ponytail, but she had taken her hair out of the bun and it was hanging loosely down her back. Her lilac eyes were sparkling with amusement as she took in Blake’s state of shock. Snapping out of her stupor, she set the drink down in front of Yang.

“Strawberry sunrise. Sorry, I put ice. I didn’t know it was for you.” Blake explained, her golden eyes never leaving Yang’s.

“That’s fine, sweetheart.” Yang said while picking up her drink. “I’m surprised to see you behind the bar; I thought you were drinking with you friends.”

“They needed help, so I volunteered.” Blake knew that there were customers who were waiting in line to order drinks, but her focus was solely on Yang. This time, she didn’t have any marks on her face however her cheek did look a little red. She noticed that Yang was staring at her with almost the same look of fascination on her face and she could suddenly feel all the alcohol she had drank coming back to her in a rush. She blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I saw your match.”

Yang smiled, leaning against the bar she placed her elbow on the table and leaned her chin into her hand. “Yes, you text me that.”

“Oh, right. I must have forgotten.” She looked away with a blush.

“I don’t know how you could possibly forget talking to me. I’m kind of amazing.” Yang said smugly while shrugging her shoulders.

“You do have a forgettable face.” Blake teased while leaning against the counter in front of Yang.

“Do I now? That’s kind of hard to believe when my face is literally on your shirt, but I guess I should introduce myself.” The blonde beauty said with amusement. She sat up straighter and extended her hand. “Hi, my name is Yang Xiao Long. You might have seen me on TV or maybe on a magazine or a certain t-shirt. I’m practically everywhere.”

Blake blushed; of course, she had to still be wearing the shirt with Yang’s face on it. “It was a gift from Sun.” She said with a laugh before extending her hand and shaking it. “But yes, I’ve seen you before on TV.” Pulling her hand out her grasp, she looked over and saw someone waving her over. She nodded her head at the person before turning her attention back to Yang and giving her a sly smile. “You’re one of those people who prance around half naked punching people.”

Yang smirked, a mischievousness glint in her lilac colored eyes. “Are you at least impressed by what you’re seeing?”

Blake blushed but didn’t answer. Instead, she turned away from the blonde and went to take someone’s drink order. She could hear Yang laughing at her lack of a response. Blake took a chance and looked at her through the corner of her eyes. Yang was staring right at her and once gold met lilac, Yang winked at her.

Oh, fuck. This was not going to end well.

Once Blake was done handing out the beers the man had ordered, she turned her attention back to Yang who was watching a video on her scroll. She was sipping on her drink, her lilac eyes never leaving the screen. Her bangs were framing her face and Blake just couldn’t help but stare. She was definitely the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Yang blinked her eyes and looked up, catching Blake staring at her once more. Giving another smile, she beckoned her over with her finger; Blake went to her.

“So, Blake. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“We should go out on a date.”

Blake stared at her. “That wasn’t a question.”

Yang laughed. “You’re right, it wasn’t. But that wasn’t my question.”

“What is your question then?”

“What day and what time should I pick you up?”

Blake smiled and began to laugh. Staring into her beautiful colored eyes, she leaned against the counter once more. “How about Wednesday at five?”

Yang gave her a bright smile. Reaching out her hand, she softly brushed a lock of black hair back behind Blake’s human ear. Blake could feel her heart rate accelerating and could feel the burning of her cheeks. Yang’s eyes never left hers as she did this.

“It’s a date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...how did you like the ending? Lol.
> 
> OMG you guys that volume seven trailer was amazing!! I am so excited! I still can't believe we finally get to see some of what's going to happen next volume. Short hair Blake has me crying though; I'm really gonna miss her long hair. Speaking of which, I will be keeping her long hair for this story since when I had first began to write it, she still had her long hair.
> 
> While I was editing this chapter I accidentally messed up my Spotify playlist...I have it in a specific order and now it's ruined and I have to go back and fix it which is going to take awhile and now I'm sad. Ugh. That was completely irrelevant but I just needed to tell someone because of how upset I am lol.
> 
> I'm sure everyone has guessed it, but the song that is playing for Yang is "I Burn" from Jeff and Casey Lee Williams. Because of course I had to have that song for her. And to be honest the song that I have for Zara is "Royals" by Lorde but that's just the song I imagine but it's not official or anything.
> 
> Oh! I made a twitter account for my account here on AO3. If you'd like to follow it you can =) I'll mainly tweet keeping everyone updated on my progress. @VioletSkye413
> 
> Thank you everyone who is still reading and leaving kudos and reviews. I appreciate you all so much!


	6. Chapter Six

Blake was freaking out. There was literally no other way to explain what was currently happening inside her head.

She had agreed go on a date with Yang. An actual date. She couldn’t even remember the last time she went on a date. More than likely back when she and Adam had first started talking, but she couldn’t even remember it. And now, she was going to having dinner with her.

Sunday morning was a blur as she headed to her parents’ house for breakfast. She honestly couldn’t even remember what they had for breakfast or what they even talked about. Her mother looked at her with concern but each time she asked Blake always reassured her that everything was fine, just that she was tired. Which wasn’t exactly a lie…but Blake could still remember how her dad had reacted when she told him she had met Yang. She could only imagine what his reaction would be if she told him they were going on a date.

Blake would tell them the day before it happened. She really didn’t want to keep something like this from them, and she figured her mother would at least be a little happy that she was at least sort of dating again. But she wondered briefly if Kali would also be upset that she was going on a date with Yang. She wouldn’t know for sure until she told them.

The rest of Sunday passed in a blur and as Monday blended into Tuesday the panic really started to set in. Her date with Yang was tomorrow; in a little under twenty-four hours she would be picked up and taken somewhere with Yang. Going through her closet, she was throwing clothes around as she tried to figure out what it was she was going to wear. Something nice like a dress? Or something casual like skinny jeans and a shirt? She had text Yang earlier during the day asking where they were going but all Yang sent was a text saying it was a surprise with a winky face and Blake stared frustratingly at her scroll before setting it down. Looking back in her closet, she let out a frustrated cry as she stomped out of her room and into the kitchen where she grabbed a bottle of whiskey and took a quick swig to try and calm her nerves. The bitter liquid made its way down her throat and she winced slightly at the burn. Blake hadn’t slept very well the last few days. Of all the times for her insomnia to hit, of course it had to be the week she was supposed to go out on a date.

She was standing in the kitchen with her bottle of whiskey, wearing only her Yang shirt (“It’s comfortable!” she had argued with Sun, her face turning red as he rolled his eyes) and a pair of black panties. She had music playing on her scroll and when she heard another one of her favorite songs, she quickly grabbed the device and put the song on repeat. Taking another drink from her whiskey bottle, she began to sing along to the song.

Blake wasn’t exactly sure how many times the song played; she did know that when she had originally started, the bottle was halfway full. Now, it was practically empty. At some point, Sun had come upstairs to see what Blake was doing; upon seeing her dancing around in her underwear with her whiskey bottle, Sun had simply turned around and headed back downstairs. Blake had tried to call him back so they could dance together but all he had mumbled was that he wasn’t equipped to handle whatever it was Blake was going through. Shrugging her shoulders, she had finished off her bottle and began looking for her second bottle. Once she found it, she quickly twisted off the cap and took another drink before the song restarted.

She began singing again at the top of her lungs, her ears twitching when she heard the office door open again. Blake turned around to start singing the next part of the song with who she thought was Sun, but when it was Weiss standing there instead, she let out a happy squeal.

“You coulda had a bad bitch!” they both yelled at each other before they both started dancing together.

Weiss set her purse down on the table and continued to dance along with Blake until the start of the second verse. Grabbing the cat Faunus’ scroll, she lowered the volume even though Blake complained about it.

Starting at her briefly, Weiss spoke. “What are you doing?”

Blake blinked at her. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m getting drunk. It’s the only way I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

“You mean this is all because of your date with Yang tomorrow?”

“Why else would I be drinking for?”

Looking at her best friend closely, Weiss put her hands on her hips. “Don’t you work tonight?”

Blinking again, Blake looked around the kitchen before turning her attention back to Weiss. “Yes, I do. What time is it anyways? And why are you here?”

“Sun called me.” Weiss answered. “He said something along the lines of him not being able to handle whatever mood swing it is that you’re having. Oh, and it’s six thirty.”

“Aw fuck! My shift already started.” Blake yelled as she ran to her bedroom, stumbling in the hallway before entering her room.

“Considering that Scarlet is already downstairs covering for you, I think you’ll be okay.”

“Wait, he is? Why?”

“Maybe because you took it upon yourself to day drink?” Weiss said while rolling her eyes. Walking into her room, her blue eyes scanned Blake’s bedroom at all of the clothes laying around. “What exactly were you doing before you started drinking?”

“Trying to figure out what to wear. Yang won’t even give me a hint on where we are going.” She said with a growl while bending down to pick up a shirt. Losing her balance, Blake stumbled to the ground and sighed heavily before letting herself fall backwards onto the floor. “I don’t know what to do!”

“Well, first you’re going to calm your drunk ass down.” Weiss demanded while picking up the shirt Blake had missed. “Geez, you didn’t have to get this drunk. You could have called me, and I would have given you some advice.”

“Does that mean you know where she’s taking me?” Blake mumbled from the floor.

“Yes, I do but I’m not going to tell you.” Weiss declared while placing her hands back on her hips. “But I will help you pick out an outfit that’ll work for where she’s taking you.”

Blake gave her a goofy smile while sitting up. “You’re a life saver.” Getting up slowly, she made her way passed Weiss and into her closet where she once again started looking. “So…what should I wear?”

Moving passed her, she quickly grabbed a dress that was towards the back of her closet and held it out for Blake to take.

“You…want me to wear this?” she asked while looking down at the dress. It was a lace spaghetti strap dress that was low cut with ribbons crossing along the front, showing a decent amount of cleavage but not enough to be inappropriate. The dress went down to about mid-thigh and the back was open, showing off the smoothness of her bare back. “Are you sure this will be appropriate?”

“Believe me, it’ll be perfect.” Weiss confirmed. “You can probably get away with wearing your boots if you wanted to. Or you can wear your strappy sandals.”

“Boots!” Blake exclaimed while putting her fist up in the air. “If I wear my sandals Yang will see how short I am.”

Weiss scoffed. “I highly doubt she’ll mind. Besides, I’m sure she’s figured it out.”

Blake made a face before hanging the dress on her closet door. She stretched out her back and let out a loud yawn as Weiss rolled her eyes.

Leaving her bedroom, she went back to the kitchen and grabbed her bottle of whiskey and took another drink. Following her, Weiss grabbed the bottle from her friend – Blake letting out a whine as she did. The white-haired girl took a swig of the bitter liquid before turning back to Blake who was looking at her curiously.

“Let’s get drunk.”

“Don’t you have work tomorrow?”

She shrugged her shoulders and took another drink, making the same sour face. “Do you have tequila? This stuff is revolting.”

Blake let out a laugh as she went into the fridge and grabbed the tequila as well as some limes so she could cut them up for Weiss to use. Once she was done cutting them, she clinked bottles and both girls took a drink, toasting to their friendship.

Two hours later, Sun made his way upstairs to check on the two girls. When he walked into the kitchen, he saw both girls sitting on the kitchen floor, hugging and crying their eyes out. Sun tried to back away slowly, but Blake’s ears twitched, and she looked up, her eyes red and puffy from crying; her cheeks wet with tears.

“Sun,” she hiccupped. “I love Weiss so much! I love my best friend so much!” she began crying harder, pulling the smaller girl closer to her.

“I love you, Blake.” Weiss cried into her shoulder. “You’re such a great friend!”

Blake turned her attention back to Sun who was still standing at the edge of the kitchen in shock. “I love you, too, Sun! So much! You’ve been so good to me!” more tears fell from her golden eyes.

“Yeah, I can’t deal with this.” Sun admitted while turning around and heading back downstairs.

Five minutes later, Scarlet came upstairs in Sun’s place, took one look at the girls in front of him before clapping his hands and reaching between them to grab the liquor bottles. Both girls didn’t protest, all they did was look up at him, their eyes still swimming with tears.

“Alright ladies, time for bed!”

“I have to go home,” Weiss mumbled. “My driver –”

“Has already been sent home. Sun talked to him and let him know you’ll be staying. Now, both of you get up and head to bed. I’ll leave some water and Advil for the both of you.”

Blake and Weiss both got up from their spots on the floor on wobbly legs and stumbled to Blake’s bedroom. It was quiet for a while before Scarlet heard both of them giggling for whatever reason. When he entered the room, the first thing he noticed was Weiss had stripped out of her slacks and blue button up shirt and was standing in only her underwear. Rolling his eyes, Scarlet placed two water bottles and Advil on Blake’s nightstand. Blake was rummaging around in her drawer and pulled out a long shirt for the heiress to sleep in.

“Get some sleep, drunkies.” He waited for them to lay in bed before turning off the light and closing the door.

Both girls snuggled up to each other; Weiss laying on her stomach and Blake curling up to the girls’ side.

“I love you, Ice Queen.” Blake mumbled.

“I love you, kitty cat.” Weiss answered.

They both quickly fell asleep.

~*~*~*~

“I swear to the fucking gods if you don’t turn that alarm off I’m going to throw your scroll out of the damn window.”

“Shut up!” Weiss hissed as she tried to find her scroll without opening her eyes. “You can always help me find it.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“Bitch.”

Blake could feel Weiss moving around next to her and with much reluctance she opened one of her golden eyes. She was still in the same spot she had fallen asleep in and she could feel her back throbbing in pain. What time did they even fall asleep? It must have been fairly early since Weiss had gotten to the apartment around six thirty. That much she did remember.

After finally turning off her alarm, Weiss collapsed back onto the bed.

“What time is it?” Blake mumbled.

“Four thirty.”

“Ugh, why do you wake up so damn early? You don’t have to be at the office until eight.”

“Father’s orders. He wants us to be there before everybody and be the last ones to leave.”

“He’s obviously going senile.” Blake grumbled while slowly laying on her back. “Only senile people wake up this early.”

“Regular people wake up this early.” Weiss said while rubbing her head. “You’re just used to going to sleep at this time which is why you’re freaking out over there.”

“Whatever. You are going back to sleep right?”

Weiss sighed. “No; I have to go home and get ready for the day. We have an important meeting at eight thirty and then I’ll be going over different reports for the rest of the day.”

Rolling out of bed, Weiss walked slowly out of the bedroom and into the bathroom where Blake heard the door shut with a soft click. Deciding to get up as well, Blake slowly got out of bed and made her way towards the kitchen to where the coffee pot was located. She personally never drank coffee, but Sun and Neptune did, and she knew that Weiss would definitely need the caffeine if she was going to get through the day. Mechanically going through the motions, once she was finished she switched the pot on and waited a few minutes before the device started making noises and the smell of the coffee filled the air. Blake was definitely going back to sleep once Weiss left so she wouldn’t be making herself any tea. She was going to need as much rest as possible for her date tonight.

Oh crap; she had totally forgot.

Sitting down at the table, she put her face into her hands and let her mind wonder. What if Yang found her completely boring? What if she couldn’t keep a conversation with her? What if halfway through the meal Yang decided that she would much rather date a human instead of a Faunus? Blake rubbed her head as all these different scenarios began to run through her mind. She wasn’t even sure now if she’d be able to fall back to sleep with all the thoughts that were going around inside her brain.

“I can tell you’re overthinking, and you need to stop. It’s way too early in the morning for this and I haven’t even had a single cup of coffee.”

Looking up, she saw that Weiss had put on her clothes from the previous night and had redone her hair and washed her face. Her scroll was already in her hands and Blake was more than sure she had already contacted her driver to come and pick her up.

“Sorry,” Blake said softly. “I’ll try and keep my overthinking to a minimum.”

Weiss gave her a soft smile before going over and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Seriously, Blake. Everything will be fine. Just remember what we talked about last night before we both started crying.”

Blake smiled. “I deserve to be happy. In every way possible.” Placing her hand atop of Weiss’ she gave it a quick squeeze before letting go. “Thank you, Weiss. Seriously, I don’t know where I would be without you.”

“Probably passed out on the kitchen floor with an empty bottle of whiskey.” Weiss shrugged while turning around and retrieving a plain black coffee mug from the dish drainer. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took a small sip. “I’m sure if I wouldn’t have been here Sun would have left you on the floor.”

“You’re probably right.” Blake said with a laugh.

For a few minutes, they stayed in comfortable silence before Weiss’ scroll went off, indicating that her driver was outside and waiting for her. Blake walked her to the front door and gave her a hug, promising to text her later on after her date with Yang. Weiss waved goodbye to her and walked quickly down the stairs and towards the waiting car that would first take her to her apartment and then to SDC.

Making her way back to her bedroom, Blake went back to her bed and threw herself face down onto the mattress. Letting out a long sigh, she looked around for her scroll and once she found it, she looked at the time. Five twenty-eight. Sighing, she lay on her back and looked up at her ceiling, thinking about all the possible ways the date would go. Maybe things will be alright, she thought to herself. Her eyes began to feel heavy and as she finally drifted off to sleep, she dreamt of sunflowers and amethysts that shone brighter than the sun and laughter that filled her with such joy and warmth.

~*~*~*~

Blake’s scroll was pressed to her ear as she waited patiently for her mother to answer. She was sitting down in her room with only her black robe on and she couldn’t stop shaking her leg with nerves. She had debated all through her shower on if she should call her mom after all. Since she didn’t call her yesterday she had no choice but to call now. Of course, she didn’t really have to, but she didn’t want to leave her mom in the dark.

_“Hi sweetheart.”_

“Hey mom. What are you doing?”

_“I’m just getting ready to head to the yoga studio. You should come with me since you didn’t come with me last week.”_

“Um that sounds great mom and I would really love to but…I kind of have a date tonight.” Silence on the other line. She didn’t hang up did she? Bringing the scroll to her face she saw that her mom hadn’t hung up on her. “Mom?”

_“Did you say you have a date or is my hearing going bad?”_

“It’s not going bad.” Blake confirmed, her leg bouncing more. “But yes, I have a date tonight.”

_“Oh, honey that’s great news! Boy or girl? Who is it with?”_

“It’s with a girl.” She swallowed thickly. “It’s with Yang Xiao Long.” More silence from the other line. “Mom?”

_“Blake…are you sure?”_

Part of her wanted to answer yes right away, but she also knew that it would send off warning signs to her mother. So instead of answering right away, she let out a soft sigh that she knew her mom would hear before finally speaking.

“I’m not one hundred percent sure…but she seems like a nice person.”

_“I’m sorry to say this but you said the same thing about Adam, sweetheart.”_

“I know I did.” Blake winced. “I…I’m having trouble forming it into words, but Yang just…from the moment I met her I just felt drawn to her, and not in the way it was with him. When I shook her hand, I felt a spark and she felt it too. It sounds weird but I can’t stop thinking about her and when she asked me out it just felt like the right step.” Pausing for a moment she let out a humorless laugh. “Oh, my gods I sound crazy.”

_“You don’t sound that crazy, Blake. Only a little crazy.” Kali laughed over the line._

“Thanks, mom.” Blake said rolling her eyes.

_“Just…be careful Blake. In the end, I just want you to be happy and I know your dad feels the same way too. I won’t mention you going out with Yang but you’re going to have to tell him sooner rather than later.”_

“I’ll be careful. I’ll text you where I’ll be once I know and I’ll text you when I’m home. I love you, mom.”

_“I love you too, Blake. I’ll talk to you later kitten.”_

Blake hung up and exhaled heavily before setting her scroll on her bed. That conversation went better than she thought it would. But still, the thought of telling her dad made her nervous, especially from their previous conversation. She knew he just wanted the best for her and wanted her safe…but from what Blake could tell, Yang was nothing like Adam.

Deciding not to ponder it for too long, she got up from her bed and got dressed. Slipping on a pair of underwear, she slipped the dress on after. Blake didn’t need a bra for this dress, and she was still a little uncertain on if it was the right choice. She had text Weiss earlier and she told her yet again that it was perfect. So, keeping that in mind, she went to her mirror and began applying her usual make up. Grabbing a pair of socks, she quickly put them on and grabbed her heeled boots and went to the kitchen where her purse was sitting on the table. Glancing at the clock, her heart began to speed up as she realized Yang would be here in exactly thirty minutes.

_DING!_

Her ear twitched as she heard her scroll go off in her bedroom. Retreating back, she picked up the device and saw that it was Yang.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Hey there Blake! So I completely forgot to ask you earlier but where do you live?_

Blake rolled her eyes before replying.

**Me:** _You can just pick me up at Sea Monkeys._

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Awesome sauce! I’m gonna be leaving now so I should be there in about fifteen minutes. Sorry I’m so early; I’m excited to see you ;)_

Oh, crap. Rushing towards the bathroom, she checked her reflection and double checked her make-up to make sure that everything was how it was supposed to be. She quickly brushed her teeth and went back to her room to apply a plum colored lipstick to her lips. She inhaled deeply and let out a long breath. Everything was going to be fine. She quickly sent her a reply.

**Me:** _It’s fine. Just text me when you get here and I’ll go outside._

She didn’t receive an answer, so she assumed that Yang was driving. Now that she thought about it, she wondered what kind of car she drove? Maybe some kind of sports car? Blake honestly had no idea about cars, so her knowledge was limited. She put on her shoes and zipped up the sides before sitting down in the barely used living room. Her leg began to bounce again as the minutes ticked by. She double checked her purse to make sure that she had her wallet, keys, and her current book that she was reading. Blake checked her scroll again, even though she knew no one had sent her anything.

The anticipation was more than likely going to kill her.

_DING!_

Quickly looking at her scroll, she saw a texting saying “Here!” from Yang and her heart nearly came out of her chest. She sent a text in returning saying she’d be right down. Inhaling deeply, she headed towards the front door and stepped outside. The day was nice and warm with a cool breeze. Blake could smell moisture in the air; it just might rain today. Locking the door behind her, she made her way down the stairs and to the street. She walked a little way to where the front of the bar was and when she turned the corner, she stopped breathing.

Yang Xiao Long was leaning against a bright yellow and black motorcycle. She was wearing black skinny jeans and boots. She had on a plain white tank top with a pair of aviators hanging down her shirt and a yellow and black flannel covering her arms. Her long blonde hair was cascading beautifully down her back and her attention was focused on the door to the bar. Blake realized two things at that moment; one, Yang was expecting her to come out threw the bar door. Second, she looked absolutely stunning and super casual; Blake suddenly felt overdressed. And…okay so there was a third thing she realized. Yang drove a motorcycle. How the hell was she supposed to ride a motorcycle in a dress?

Taking a deep breath, she made her way over to where Yang was standing. At first, Yang didn’t notice her; she was still staring at the bar door and Blake couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.

“Yang?” she called to her.

The blonde’s head snapped to the sound of Blake’s voice and when she saw her standing there, Blake saw her lilac eyes widen and her jaw drop. She watched her eyes travel down before snapping back up, a blush appearing across her face. Getting up from her bike, Yang made her way to Blake, a smile on her lips. Once she was close enough, Yang’s smile grew wider as Blake looked up to stare at her. Damn, even with heeled boots, Yang was significantly taller than her.

“Hi, Blake.” Yang said softly.

“Hello, Yang.” She gave her a smile and Yang smiled in return. For a few minutes, they just stood there smiling at each other.

Yang finally cleared her throat and looked away, the blush on her face still there. “So um, you look really beautiful.”

Blake looked down, the smile on her face growing wider. “Thank you. You look very nice, as well.”

“Thanks!” Yang beamed. “Are you ready to go?”

Looking behind her towards the bike, Blake hesitated before answering. “I’m not sure how it’s going to work with me wearing a dress. If I would have known you drove a bike I would have worn jeans.”

Yang thought for a while before answering. “You should be fine. I’ve driven Bumblebee while wearing a dress so you should be alright. Unless you’d rather drive? I can always give you directions to where we’re going.”

“Well if you think I’ll be alright then I don’t mind. I’d hate to ruin your surprise.”

“Let’s get going then. I promise I won’t let you fall off.” Yang said with a wink.

Walking back to her bike, Yang turned to Blake and held out her hand. “First, give me your purse so I can put it in the side compartment. You’ll be more comfortable without having to worry about it.” Doing as she was told, Blake handed it over and watched as Yang stuck it inside the compartment and then closed it shut. Climbing on, she held out her hand to Blake. “Alright, throw your left leg over and then hold onto my shoulders to steady yourself. You probably won’t be able to reach the ground, though.”

Blake swung her leg over and sure enough, she couldn’t reach the ground. She shimmied her body a bit and was soon sitting comfortably behind Yang, her small hands on her toned shoulders. She could literally feel the muscle beneath her flannel and Blake had to slow her breathing. Balancing out, Yang grabbed one of the helmets that was hanging on the handlebars. Blake hadn’t noticed them at first, but she should have figured that Yang would have a helmet for her.

“Sorry, I know it’s probably going to be uncomfortable because of your ears.” She handed Blake the red helmet. “It’s Ruby’s so hopefully it fits you comfortably.”

“It should be fine. I’d rather be safe.” Blake answered while making her feline ears lay flat against her head. She put the helmet on and the sound from her ears became muffled. It was definitely uncomfortable, but at least on the off chance they got into an accident, she would probably be safe. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea…

“Alright,” Yang said while putting on her aviators and then her own helmet. “You might want to hold on tighter.” She suggested while picking up the kick stand and starting the bike.

Blake felt the vehicle rumble beneath her, and she instantly moved her hands from Yang’s shoulders to her waist and held on tightly. The feeling of Yang’s abs beneath her hands made her inhale deeply and when she did, she caught a whiff of honey and leather with a hint of something else that was just Yang. The close contact had her screaming internally; she hadn’t been this physically close to someone who wasn’t a close friend in so long that she wasn’t sure on how to react. Her emotions were starting to get the best of her, and she could start to feel herself freaking out.

She was so close to just bailing, when she felt Yang lay a reassuring hand on top of her clenched fists. She rubbed them soothingly and soon, Blake found herself relaxing her fingers until they were lying flat against Yang’s stomach once more. Yang put her hands back onto the handlebars and revved the engine once.

“Hold on tight, sweetheart.”

That was the only warning she got before the bike lurched forward and they were moving freely down the street, her hair whipping out behind her. Blake closed her eyes tightly, too afraid to look at her surroundings. It wasn’t until minutes later, that Blake was finally able to open her eyes and glance at her surroundings. Most of it was a blur, but the farther away they went from Sea Monkeys, Blake could feel herself relaxing more, letting the worries of the past month fall behind her as the scenery changed.

Being on the back of the motorcycle, her hands firmly holding onto Yang, made her feel weightless; made her feel like she was flying. She felt herself hold on tighter to the blonde, letting her face press against her golden locks and Blake felt herself let out a breath of air she hadn’t realized she was holding.

This must feel like being carefree was like.

That’s pretty much how Blake felt at this point; she felt free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy with all the positive feedback I've been getting. Like you guys have no idea how much it makes my day seeing all your reviews and kudos. So thank you, again, for reading.
> 
> The song that Blake and Weiss sing and dance to is Truth Hurts by Lizzo because I had to.
> 
> Just another reminder that I have a twitter account so you guys can see when I post chapters. I'll also be posting pictures later of their outfits so you can get a better visual understanding of what they are wearing. @VioletSkye413
> 
> Thank you again for reading =)


	7. Chapter Seven

Yang pulled off to the side of the road and cut off the engine. She put the kick stand down and removed her helmet, letting her blonde locks free and she shook her head. Slipping off her aviators, she looked back at Blake, giving her a smile. “You can let go of me now, unless you want to keep holding me. I don’t mind either way.”

Shakily, Blake removed her arms as the blonde began to laugh. That was easily one of the most amazing experiences of her life. Yang motioned for her to get off the bike, and she did so on shaky legs. Yang followed after her and placed the helmet on the handlebar. She turned back to Blake and held out her hand again so she could receive the helmet.

“How did you like it?” Yang asked curiously as Blake handed over the helmet.

“That was…completely amazing.” Blake answered with a smile. “But I think I left my stomach back at Sea Monkeys.”

Yang laughed. “It was like that for me the first time I ever rode a bike.”

As Blake took in her surroundings, she realized she knew exactly where she was. Her smile only grew as she realized Yang had brought her to her favorite seafood restaurant.

Garibaldi’s Seafood Restaurant was one of the best places to eat seafood and was one of the few places that had authentic Menagerian dishes. Blake wondered if Yang bringing her here was coincidental or if Weiss had something to do with it. Honestly, she didn’t care.

She turned to Yang and gave her a bright smile. “I love this place.”

Yang gave her a smile right back, the blush on her face darkening. “Well then milady, shall we?” she held out her arm for Blake to take. Blake hesitated for only a second, before shyly placing her hand on Yang’s arm.

They walked the short distance to the front door and once there, Yang opened it and let Blake go in first. Once they entered, Blake let out a sigh of contentment. The décor was exactly how she remembered it; the walls were painted a cream color and had landscape pictures of scenic ocean views from Vale and Menagerie. Yang escorted them to the hostess stand where a deer Faunus was currently waiting for them.

“Welcome!” she greeted. “Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes, it’s under Xiao Long.”

The deer Faunus looked at the scroll in front of her and nodded. “Right this way, please.” She grabbed two menus and escorted the women through the restaurant and outside to the dining patio. Setting down the menus on one of the many tables, she left after wishing them a great meal.

“I hope you don’t mind sitting outside.” Yang said once they were comfortable.

“Kind of late to be asking since we’ve already been seated.” Blake said with a smile.

“I can always ask to be moved inside, if it really is bothering you.”

“No, I’m fine sitting outside.” Blake looked around and let her eyes settle on the pier that wasn’t that far away. “The view is nicer out here.”

“I definitely have to agree with that.” Yang said softly. When Blake turned to look at her, her lilac eyes were focused on her. She broke eye contact eventually and looked down at the menu. “Do you know what you want to drink?”

“Yes. I even know what I want to eat.” Blake said with a grin. She still scanned the menu anyways until she found the dish she was going to order. Usually around this time of year they would have a special that she really enjoyed; mahi with a warm peanut sauce and mango relish with a side of soy glazed mango sticky rice and green beans. It was her absolute favorite and her mouth was already watering just thinking about it.

Before Yang could answer, a waitress came by to take their drink orders. Blake ordered herself a sweet tea and Yang got a water. Once the waitress left, the two girls sat in silence. Blake was still absentmindedly looking over the menu, but she could see from her periphery that Yang was glancing all around and that her leg was bouncing underneath the table. The waitress came back moments later with their drinks and asked if they were ready.

“Not yet,” Yang answered with a smile.

“Take your time; I’ll be back in a little bit.” The waitress replied before walking away.

The silence continued after she left, and Blake looked up to see that Yang was still fidgeting while sipping her water. Tilting her head to the side, she finally spoke. “Is there a particular reason on why you’re so quiet?”

Yang looked up at her and gave a shy smile. “Well, yeah I guess there is.” She got quiet for a moment and Blake expected her to continue but she didn’t. Instead, they sat in silence until the waitress came back again to take their food order.

Blake ordered the mac nut mahi and Yang ordered the cedar plank salmon with avocado and wild rice. The waitress jotted down their order and let them know it’d be out soon before leaving them once again. Blake picked up her tea and took a sip, her gaze going down to the pier. It had been so long since she had gone walking along the shops that were there. She wasn’t sure if Yang had anything planned after their dinner, but if for whatever reason she didn’t, she’d love to take her to all the little shops.

“You know,” Yang said breaking the silence. “I was really nervous about tonight.” Yang admitted while swirling her straw in her water.

“Really?” Blake asked. “Why is that?”

“Aside from the fact that you’re really beautiful?” Yang gave her a smile and Blake looked away, a blush forming on her cheeks. “I haven’t been on a date in a while, to be one hundred percent honest with you.”

Blake stared at her curiously. “You haven’t? I thought being as well known as you are you’d at least be with someone.” Replaying her words, Blake stammered out an apology. “I didn’t mean to sound rude or anything! I guess I just assumed…”

Yang gave her a soft smile; it was different from the other smiles that Blake had been seeing. “It’s fine. But no, I don’t date much. The last person I ‘dated’ was all for publicity since it was with someone who is also in the UFC circuit. She tried to make it real, but I didn’t feel any sort of connection with her and she was taking it a little too far. She would get jealous of other girls I’d talk to even though we weren’t technically dating. After that ended, I let the league know I wouldn’t be doing anything like that ever again.” She looked away out towards the pier before sighing. “I really don’t have much time to do anything, let alone date. I’m usually always training for the next match or having some kind of press thing or promotional work. Trying to date is almost impossible and to be honest…it gets kind of lonely.”

Blake could only stare at the woman seated in front of her. She honestly hadn’t expected her to open up to her in this way, but as the words she had just said began to sink in, her heart began to ache for Yang. Blake had foolishly thought that since Yang was constantly surrounded by people that she couldn’t be lonely. It would seem as though they shared a common trait. Without thinking, she reached out her hand and placed it gently on top of Yang’s. Her lilac gazed whipped back to meet gold briefly before looking down at their touching hands.

“I’m sorry that I just assumed that of you.” Withdrawing her hand, she placed both hands on her lap, her gaze falling to them; cat ears pinning back slightly. “I…feel like that too sometimes. But, just so you know, I’m really happy that we’re both here with each other now instead of being alone.” Taking a chance, she looked back up to see that Yang was giving her a soft smile, her lilac eyes shining with the setting sun.

“Thanks, Blake. I’m happy we’re here too.”

The moment was broken when the waitress came back with their food. Once it was set down in front of them, she asked if they needed anything else and when both girls said no, she left them alone to eat. Blake’s mouth was already watering at the sight of her food and she had to stop herself from scarfing down the whole portion of fish that was in front of her. Instead, she picked up her fork and knife and cut into the tender fish and took a bite, letting out a satisfied sigh before getting another bite.

“Is it good?” she looked up to see Yang smirking at her with a forkful of food close to her mouth.

She swallowed her food. “Very.”

Yang laughed at that and they continued to eat in a comfortable silence. The moment was only broken whenever the waitress came back to check on them and it was on one of her times coming out here that Blake realized that no one else had come to sit outside, even though she could hear other patrons inside the restaurant. She wondered briefly if maybe Yang had asked if it could just be the two of them outside; she couldn’t blame her if she had. She was more than sure that it was possible Yang would be recognized whenever they left the restaurant. The privacy was definitely appreciated.

“Hey, Blake?”

“Yes?” she asked while looking up from her food.

“What’s an avocados favorite game?” Yang asked with a piece of avocado on her fork.

“Um…I don’t know?”

“Whack-amole.” She said with a smirk while taking a bite of her own avocado.

Blake could only stare; it wasn’t long after when she started laughing. Yang joined in on her laughter and Blake shook her head. “That was the worst joke I have ever heard.”

“It still got you to laugh.”

Instead of answering, Blake laughed again while picking her fork back up that she had dropped once she had started laughing. For the rest of their meal, both girls had a smile on their faces.

For dessert they both ordered a slice of chocolate cake to share between them. It was heavenly even for Blake who was indifferent when it came to chocolate. Yang seemed to enjoy it more since for the past few minutes she had a smudge of chocolate icing on her chin. Blake let out a laugh before pointing at her face.

“You have chocolate on your chin.” She said between laughs.

“Aw, hell.” Yang mumbled while grabbing her napkin. After directing her to the correct spot, Yang was able to clean it off. “Did I get it all?”

“Yes.” Blake said with another laugh while taking a sip of her tea. The waitress had come by again and set the check down next to Yang. Without looking, Yang pulled out her wallet from her back pocket and slid her card into the slot. “I can pay for half, if you want.”

“Nope, my treat.” Handing the check and her card back to the waitress, Yang stretched out into the chair, leaning back and exposing a small sliver of skin on her stomach that Blake tried desperately not to look at. “Maybe next time you can pay.”

“Already planning our next date?” Blake teased while setting down her cup.

“Sweetheart, I already have our next two dates planned out.” Yang answered while leaning her elbows against the table.

Feeling a little bold, Blake leaned against the table as well, crossing her fingers together and resting her chin on them. “Do I at least get to plan one of our dates?”

“Whatever you want to do, Blake, I’ll be there.” Yang answered with a smile.

Blake smiled in reply as the waitress came and set the blonde’s card and the receipt on the table. Yang quickly signed it and the waitress took the signed copy and wished them both a good night.

“So, I really only had dinner planned out and I kind of figured after we’d just see where the night took us.”

“That sounds perfect.” Blake answered while taking one last drink of her tea. “I actually have somewhere in mind that we could go, if you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” Yang said while putting her card back. “Ready to go now?”

Blake nodded her head and they both stood up at the same time. Yang was heading in the direction of the restaurant entrance, but Blake was quick to grab her arm. “It’s this way.” She said while leading them towards the patio exit. It was a short walk to the pier and once they made it to the boardwalk, Blake began to head in the general direction of where she wanted to go.

They both browsed at the different storefronts; most of them were intended for tourists, but it still didn’t stop both girls from pointing out different keychains or shirts. At one stand, Yang insisted on stopping so she could buy a bumblebee keychain for the keys to her motorcycle. It was fitting, Blake had said while she paid for the object. She smiled as Yang put it on her keys and she was content with leaving her hands to hang down her sides, but the blonde woman next to her held out her arm for her to take, and this time, Blake didn’t hesitate as she grabbed onto her muscular arm.

“The shop I want to go to is down here.” Blake mentioned as she tried to get her cheeks to stop burning. “The woman who runs it is originally from Anima. She’s…interesting to say the least.” Reaching the shop, Blake opened the door and walked inside, immediately being hit with the smell of incense. It was a familiar smell and one that she realized she missed.

“What kind of things does she sell?” Yang asked curiously.

“Lots of things that are from Anima.” Blake answered while heading towards the back where the register was located. “I like to come here for a certain tea that she sells. It helps with insomnia.”

Yang only nodded as she looked around briefly. Blake could tell she wanted to explore so she let go of her arm and as soon as she did, Yang took off back towards the front so she could look at something that had caught her eye. Once Blake had made it towards the back, she poked her head behind the counter to try and see if she could see the old lady who ran the shop.

“Hello?” Blake called.

“Hold your horses, I’m coming!”

Blake had to stifle her laughter as the short woman came from around the corner. She was wearing a long blue dress with a lighter blue sweater on top of it. Her walking cane made a small thud noise every time she walked, and her long silver hair was braided all the way down her back. Her dark silver eyes were hidden behind a thick pair of glasses and even though her vision was terrible, she was quick to notice when things weren’t in place. Maria Calavera was definitely an interesting character, and Blake had grown to like her.

“Ah, Miss. Belladonna, how are you?” Maria asked once she got closer to the counter.

“I’m doing well. How are you?”

“Well I’m still alive so I guess I can’t complain.” She said with a shrug of her shoulders. “What can I help you with today?”

“I was wondering if—”

“Blake look what I found! It’s like super cute and—” Yang paused as she saw the shorter woman behind the counter. Blake wasn’t exactly sure what she found since she had it resting on her side, but she didn’t have time to ask. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were talking with someone.”

“It’s fine. Yang, this is Maria Calavera, she’s the owner of the store.” She looked at Maria who was staring intensely at Yang. “Maria, this is Yang Xiao Long.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Yang said while extending out her hand.

Instead of shaking it, Maria grabbed ahold of her hand and flipped it over to expose her palm. “Hmm…” she studied her hand a bit before looking up at her, her dark silver eyes gazing at her from behind the thick lenses of her glasses. “You’re going to be very happy in the future. But, in order to get there, you’ll have to go through a very painful ordeal.” She looked back down and traced a line on Yang’s palm. “I can see you’ve been let down before. Unfortunately, it won’t be the last time. However, once the storm is over, it’ll be smooth sailing for you. Don’t give up, your future is as bright as the summer sun.”

“I…uh…” the blonde was absolutely stunned as Maria let go of her palm and turned to look at Blake.

“How much tea did you want, Miss. Belladonna?”

“The same as usual.” Blake answered. She turned to look at Yang who was still staring dumbstruck after Maria who was currently measuring out a bag of tea for Blake to buy. Nothing more was said as Blake paid for her tea and they left minutes later, Yang putting back what Blake now saw was a statue of a cat where she had found it.

“What was that all about?” Yang asked as soon as the door closed to Maria’s shop.

Blake gave a small laugh while shrugging her shoulders. “As I had said before we entered, Maria is very interesting. I still remember the first time I entered her store. I went to shake her hand and she took my hand and told me something almost the same.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…she said that I was going to be thrown headfirst into a storm that I was going to have trouble finding my way out of.” Blake paused, thinking about Adam and how the abuse only escalated from there. “I went back a few times after, and she never brought up what she had told me. I hadn’t been back until about six months ago and when she saw me, she gave me a smile and said that the storm was almost over and that the sun would come out soon.” Sneaking a glance, she saw Yang was listening to her intently.

“Do you believe her?”

The dark-haired girl thought about it for awhile before answering. It was true that most of what Maria had said was true; she was under the impression that Maria was very intuitive about things and was also honest enough to not make up anything as wild as this. “Yes,” Blake answered. “She’s been right on a few things. But it could also just be coincidental.”

“Do you believe in coincidence?”

“It was a coincidence that brought you to Sea Monkeys, wasn’t it?”

Yang smiled. “I wouldn’t say coincidence. More like Weiss.”

“Oh?” her ear twitched at her answer.

“Weiss invited Ruby initially that night. Ruby was a little uncomfortable since she doesn’t drink, and she wanted me to join her, so I did.” Yang glanced at her and winked. “Nice ringtone, by the way.”

Blake rolled her eyes. “I keep trying to get her to change it, but she refuses.”

“I personally think _The Aristocats _is an excellent movie. I also really wanted to be a cat after watching the movie when I was younger.”

Blake laughed at her response. “Well, since she wouldn’t change mine I went and put hers to “Let It Go” from _Frozen._”

Yang laughed loudly at that as she steered them towards a railing overlooking the ocean. “Oh man, you’re gonna have to get her to call you so I can hear that.” The sun had already set, and they stood there closely, staring out at the ocean. There were still boats dotting along the darkening water, and they stayed quiet for a moment before Blake remembered something.

“Speaking of Weiss…” she started. “What exactly did you mean by she was right about me? You wouldn’t answer me in text so now I want to know in person.”

“I was hoping you’d bring that up.” Yang said with a laugh as she turned away from the ocean to lean against the railing. “Do you really want to know?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.” She answered while still facing out at the ocean. Her ears twitched as a gentle breeze whipped passed them both.

“True, true.” She turned her head to stare at the cat Faunus, the lilac of her eyes pale, mimicking silver. “Weiss told me about you once before. It was maybe a few weeks before we went to Sea Monkeys. You had text her and when she opened up your message, she smiled. I’ve seen Weiss smile before, but never like that. At first I thought maybe she was messaging Ruby, but when she told me she was texting her best friend from middle school, I got curious. I asked about you and she began to tell me that you were one of the most compassionate people she had ever met. That you were witty, sarcastic but in a funny way, and really feisty when it came to certain things.” She closed her eyes and Blake could do nothing but stare. “I remember telling her that you seemed like someone I would like, and she agreed saying that I would. So, that’s what I meant that night in our texts. Weiss was definitely right about me liking you.”

Blake was in awe of what she had just heard. Suddenly, she felt bad. Weiss had never once mentioned knowing Yang, and now she felt as if Weiss hadn’t wanted her to know about the blonde woman standing next to her with her eyes still closed as she waited for her to say something. Blake opened and closed her mouth a few times before any noise came out. “I…definitely wasn’t expecting that.”

Yang opened one of her lilac eyes briefly before closing her eyes again. “I figured that. Weiss didn’t tell me some things about you, but just by the few things she did say, it made me want to know you.” Yang pushed herself off against the railing and stretched her arms out above her head. “Did you want to walk around a little more or call it a night?”

“Let’s walk around a little more.” Blake suggested. They both began walking back in the direction they had came from, both of them comfortable with the silence.

The lights that had long been on were illuminating everything in a hazy golden light. Yang was no exception from this; Blake was trying so hard to keep her gaze from wondering, but she couldn’t help but be drawn to the fire that was Yang Xiao Long. Her words were still echoing inside her head; how was it that someone boring like her had seemed to catch the attention of someone like Yang?

The space between them was minimal and every so often, their hands would brush against each other and every time it happened, Blake could feel the same spark that she had felt when she had first shaken Yang’s hand. The silence between them continued on as they passed by the now familiar shops that lined the pier.

“So…” Yang said breaking the silence. “What do you do when you aren’t working?”

Blake gave it some thought before answering. “Honestly, I don’t really do anything aside from work. I read every chance I get and every Sunday I have breakfast with my parents. But as far as hobbies go, I like to bartend and read.”

“Any specific genre or do you read anything?”

“I’ll read anything if it seems interesting. But I really like to read suspense novels and fantasy novels.” She hesitated. “But I won’t get too into it. I don’t want to bore you.”

“Why would it bore me? I want to know what you’re interested in. If I didn’t want to know I wouldn’t have asked. But honestly Blake, I want to know everything about you.”

“I want to know more about you too.” Blake said with a smile. “When did you first start boxing?”

“When I was twelve. I was a really angry child.” Yang said with a humorless laugh. “I had so much pent up anger and frustration and my uncle could see that. So, one day he took me to his garage, gave me some gloves and put me in front of a punching bag. He told me to hit it until I didn’t feel mad anymore. I think I stayed hitting that bag for two hours before I finally fell to the floor exhausted. The next day my uncle put me back in front of the bag and I went at it again. I don’t think I really started getting serious about it until I was fourteen.”

“Wow. So, your uncle coached you?”

“My dad and uncle both did. My dad actually owns a gym and he knows how to box and do martial arts. So, I started to learn from him and realized that I really liked it.” She paused for a moment, clearly lost in thought. “My first match happened when I turned sixteen to some jerk guy who said I couldn’t beat him because I was a girl. I managed to knock him out in the first round.”

“Good.” Blake said with a smile.

“It was really exhilarating.” Yang said with a laugh. “After that I just knew that was what I wanted to do.”

The smile that was on Yang’s face was so genuine that Blake just couldn’t look away. Almost like a magnet, she couldn’t help but be drawn to such a beautiful person. She didn’t want the night to end, oh no…she wanted to continue on with their date, but as the night got darker, she knew it would end soon. They had finally made it back to Garibaldi’s where people were sitting outside on the patio deck. They went around and Blake could hear people whispering; they recognized Yang. She didn’t seem to notice though as she walked with Blake back to her bike. She grabbed the spare helmet off the handlebar and handed it to Blake who simply held it in her hands as Yang climbed onto the bike, grabbing her own helmet. Yang helped her onto the bike as she had before, and once she was settled she placed the helmet back on her head, making sure her ears were flat on her head and comfortable. She watched as Yang did the same with her own helmet before starting the bike. She wrapped her arms tightly around her and the last thing Blake heard was Yang’s laughter before she sped off.

The ride back to Sea Monkeys seemed to be a lot shorter than she remembered the ride over to Garibaldi’s. Why was it that time seemed to go by a lot faster when great things were coming to an end? As Yang parked in front of the bar, she could hear the music coming from inside; the bar didn’t seem too packed. As she stepped off the bike and removed the helmet, Yang shut off the engine and removed her own helmet. Her hair was still perfectly in place and Blake was sure that her own hair was messed up. She quickly patted her hair down and hoped that Yang wouldn’t notice.

As Yang stepped off of the bike, she gave Blake a smile. “I had a really great time tonight, Blake.”

“So did I.” she smiled. She watched as Yang went to retrieve her items from the side compartment; she began to mess with the helmet strap as she waited for Yang to hand over her purse and tea. “Um…would you maybe like to come inside for a drink? Or something…”

“I wish I could, but I have to be up early tomorrow for training. My next match isn’t for a few more months, but I’ve been slacking this past week.” Yang answered while handing over her things. “But I’ll walk you inside, if you want.”

“Oh, that’s okay.” Blake said, trying to hide her disappointment. They traded the objects that were in their hands and she looked up at Yang to give her a smile. “You don’t need to walk me inside; I’m going up to my apartment since I don’t work tonight.”

“Where’s your apartment?”

“Upstairs.” Blake said pointing towards the side where she had originally come from.

“Wait, you live above the bar?”

She gave her a curious look. “Yes…I thought you knew that.”

“No…I thought you might have come out from the back of the bar or something.” Yang speculated while rubbing the back of her neck. She shrugged her shoulders before giving her a smile. “I guess I’ll be walking you around back then huh?”

“It would appear so.” Blake said returning the smile. She led the way towards the side of the building where the stairs leading to the front of the door were located. “You don’t have to walk me up the stairs.”

“I don’t mind.” She replied. They walked up the stairs in silence and once they reached the door, Yang turned to face her. “I had a lot of fun. Even though the impromptu palm reading was a little…well, you know.”

“Interesting?” Blake said with a smirk.

“Yeah, interesting.” Yang replied with a smirk of her own. “I’m going to be busy for the next week so maybe we can do something when I’m free?”

“That sounds really nice.” Blake said, her smirk turning into a genuine smile. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Reaching forward, Yang tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear again, much like she had done Saturday night downstairs. Goosebumps lined her arms as she felt Yang’s fingertips trail lightly along her cheek. She didn’t shy away from her touch and all her instincts were telling her to lean into it; instead, she gave her a soft smile as Yang let her arm drop back down to her side.

“Goodnight, Blake.”

“Goodnight, Yang.” Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward and placed a kiss onto the blonde’s cheek. When she pulled away she could see the stunned look on her face. Giving her one last smile, she turned away and opened the door. When she turned back she could see the dumbstruck look on Yang’s face before the blonde turned around and walked back down the stairs towards her motorcycle.

She closed the door behind her and locked both locks before leaning against the door. She had really done that; Blake really had done that. She couldn’t stop the smile even if she wanted to, and she had no intentions of trying to wipe it from her face. Making her way towards her room, she quickly took off her boots and placed her purse and tea on top of her dresser. Looking at herself in the mirror, she could see that her face was flushed, her eyes were wide and almost seemed to glow. The night had been absolutely perfect…

Grabbing her scroll, she sent a text first to her mom saying that she was home and that she would call her in the morning to let her know the details. Next, she text Weiss.

**Me:** _Just got back from my date with Yang. It went perfect. Breakfast tomorrow? My treat._

Her phone dinged a few seconds later.

** Weiss: ** _ I’m glad everything went well. And sure, we can meet. Spill over mimosas?_

**Me:** _Absolutely. See you tomorrow morning at Candlelight. Nine?_

Blake waited a few more seconds and when her phone dinged again Weiss agreed to the time and place. Setting her scroll back down, she changed out of her dress and slipped on the Yang shirt that Sun had bought her. Deciding to be a little impulsive, she grabbed her phone and took a picture of herself in her shirt. She was about to send it to Yang when a little voice in her head told her not to. Sighing, she unattached the picture and instead sent a regular text to Yang.

**Me:** _Thank you for taking me out. I’m really looking forward to seeing you again. Drive safe. Goodnight again, Yang._

She didn’t expect a reply back so instead she checked the time and noticed that it was a few minutes before nine. Deciding to make herself some tea, she quickly made it and took it back to her room where she drank it while reading her current book. Not even ten minutes later, she could feel herself drifting off to sleep. She set her book down on her end table along with her cup and clicked off her lamp. Laying back in bed, she quickly drifted off to sleep where she dreamed of Yang Xiao Long. They were both sitting down and staring off into the sunset, no visible space between them and the comfort of the waves as background noise.

Everything was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize for how long this chapter took! I know it was only a day (I'm posting this at like three in the morning lol) but I feel like I broke a promise to you guys. Today was just super busy though! I had to get my cat - I named her Blake lol - to get fixed and then after that I went to a huge book sale they had here in my hometown. I literally got a box full of books and I'm going back tomorrow to get more =)
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoyed their date! Me and my best friend were literally brain storming on where and what they should do so I hope you guys enjoyed what we came up with.
> 
> Thanks again for your reviews and your continued support of this story. Seriously, you guys are best!
> 
> Twitter: @VioletSkye413


	8. Chapter Eight

The next morning, Blake woke up feeling refreshed and ready for the day. It had been so long since she had woken up this early and she knew she’d regret it later when she had to work. But at the moment, she didn’t care. Memories of last night came flooding back to her and she couldn’t help the smile that came across her face.

She climbed out of bed and made her way out of her bedroom and into the bathroom. When she was done, she went to the kitchen where she found a note from Sun saying that he was at Neptune’s and that he wanted a full report on what happened last night on her date with Yang. She rolled her eyes before setting the paper back down on the table and stretched. It was only seven thirty and she still had an hour and a half until she had to meet Weiss.

First things first, she had to take a shower. Before she came out of the bathroom, Blake had noticed that all her make-up from the night before was smeared all over the bottoms of her eyes, making her look like a racoon. She really should have taken her make-up off before going to bed but oh well.

Thirty minutes later and she was out of the shower and feeling refreshed. She had spent an extra ten minutes just standing under the warm spray and letting her thoughts drift to a certain blonde-haired girl. She had only decided to get out because she heard her scroll going off in her bedroom. She walked to her room, towel drying her hair and reached for her scroll that was sitting where she had left it on the night table. There were two text messages; one from Weiss and the other from Yang.

Opening Weiss’ message, it was just the heiress saying that she was going to be running a little late since a meeting at work was taking longer than expected. Blake replied saying she’d still go at nine anyways and just wait for her there since she was already up. After hitting send, she went to Yang’s message; it had been sent last night, presumably after Blake had fallen asleep.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _I had a really great time tonight too, sweetheart. I made it home safely. I hope you have sweet dreams, Blake. I know I will <3_

Blake felt her face warm up as she stared at the little heart that Yang had sent her. It was too soon to be putting that right? But then again, she did give her a kiss on the cheek last night before she came inside.

“Stop worrying about it!” she said to herself.

She set her scroll back down on the table and turned towards her closet to decide on something to wear. A few minutes later, she came out wearing a pair of high waisted shorts and a simple loose-fitting black shirt. She brushed out her hair and then went over to her vanity so she could put on some make-up. Blake took her time while doing it; making sure that everything was nice and in its place before she chose a lipstick to wear. By the time she was finished it was already time to go.

Heading towards the front door with her purse and wearing her usual boots, she saw another note from Sun on the door.

_Left the keys to my car since yours still isn’t working. Seriously, get that shit fixed._

Glaring at the note, she grabbed his car keys from the hook and made her way outside and down the stairs to where they parked their cars. Once she was inside and settled she made her way towards Candlelight.

Once she arrived, she went to the hostess stand and asked them if there was a reservation for Weiss Schnee. They looked and said there was; a table outside. Blake nodded her head and asked if she could sit down on one of the couches while she waited for Weiss to arrive and after they said she could, she made her way over to her favorite spot that was by the fireplace. Since it was still too hot to light it, they had it displayed with logs that would be lit once the weather changed. She pulled out her current book and opened it; she was already almost finished, and she hoped that by the time Weiss arrived she would be done.

A waitress came by and asked if she would like anything to drink; she asked for a mimosa with strawberries and kiwi and the waitress simply nodded her head before leaving to get it for her. Blake picked up her book and continued reading; it was the last book of the fairy series she was reading, and she was excited (and slightly nervous) to find out what was going to happen to the main character as well as all the other characters. The waitress had come and gone with her drink and she was sipping it idly by the time the white-haired heiress arrived.

“Sorry I’m late.” Were the first words out of Weiss’ mouth as she sat down next to Blake.

“It’s fine.” Taking in her appearance, she noticed that her usually crisp white button up shirt was a little wrinkled as well as her business skirt. Even her ponytail seemed a little off. “Is everything okay? You don’t look as pristine as you usually do.”

“I was trying to rush out before father had a chance to get me to stay. I had told him I had a very important breakfast meeting so I wouldn’t be able to make the one he was going to have with him and mother.” She rolled her eyes before grabbing Blake’s mimosa and drinking the rest of it. “That was refreshing.”

“Yeah, it was.” Blake said sourly as Weiss handed over the empty cup.

Both of them got settled before Weiss finally asked about her date with Yang. Her face immediately got red as she hid behind her book. She was spared for a moment as the waitress came back and asked if Weiss wanted something to drink. After ordering two more mimosas, she turned back to Blake and waited.

“It was…amazing.” Blake said with a smile. “I honestly feel like I haven’t had that much fun in such a long time. We had dinner at Garibaldi’s and she even convinced me to have some dessert. After that we went walking along the pier and I took her to Maria’s. Poor Yang, I forgot to warn her about how Maria is though, and she was immediately given a palm reading.”

“What did Maria say?”

“Something about her being happy in the future but that she was going to go through a painful ordeal.” Blake paused. “Maria had also mentioned how Yang had been disappointed before and that it wouldn’t be the last time. But once all of it was over that her future was going to be bright.”

“I see…”

Blake watched as Weiss accepted the mimosa from the waitress and Blake also extended out her hand to retrieve her own drink. She continued to watch as the blue-eyed girl stared off into nothing.

“Weiss?”

“Yes?”

“You okay? I kind of lost you there for a moment.”

“Everything is fine. What else happened?”

“After we left Maria’s we walked a little more before she took me back to the apartment. Riding on her motorcycle was definitely an experience. One I definitely wouldn’t mind doing again.” Blake admitted.

“Oh, so you liked Bumblebee. I personally don’t see the appeal and she made me ride it twice just to try and change my mind.”

“You mean you didn’t like it?”

“No! My hair was ruined, and I just so happened to be wearing a skirt that day. I’m surprised all of Vale didn’t see my underwear.”

Blake laughed. “I’d like to remind you that I wore a _dress_ to that date; a dress you told me to wear so you’ll get no sympathy from me. Thanks for that, by the way. I think Yang really liked it.”

“I knew she would.” Weiss said with a smile.

They stayed quiet for a moment longer before Blake suddenly remembered something. “Hey, how long have you known Yang? And where did you two even meet?” she turned to face her so she wouldn’t miss a single facial expression.

Weiss tilted her head to the side, a clear indicator that she was thinking. “At Schnee headquarters. She interned there for two months. That was…six years ago? We met during our senior year.”

“Wait, you’ve known her since we were both in high school and you never told me about her?” Blake asked in shock. She turned to pick up her glass from the table and almost missed the way Weiss was biting her bottom lip. She was nervous about something.

“That was around the time when things with…Adam started.”

“Oh…” Blake turned away, her ears dropping slightly as her mind began to wonder back towards how it started. The first time his palm hit her cheek, when he first grabbed her arm so tight he left bruises. All the excuses he gave, the lies she told everyone. It was around this time that Blake had started to pull away from her friends, so she could understand why Weiss never introduced her to anyone. She was too busy pulling away from everyone so no one would find out about what Adam was doing to her.

“Sorry…I was hoping to not bring him up.”

Blake gave a small smile. “I’ll be fine.” She cleared her throat. “So how did you two actually start talking?”

“We were paired together since I was also ‘interning.’ Once they paired us, she came over, introduced herself, and then didn’t stop talking.”

Blake laughed at Weiss’ expression and could clearly picture a talkative Yang who couldn’t get the hint that Weiss didn’t want to talk to her. After Blake settled back into the couch, Weiss continued with her story. She learned that they weren’t allowed to switch partners and Weiss had the suspicion that the woman in charge did that on purpose. So, Weiss had to endure two hours of constant chatter. But, with that chatter, Weiss had learned that Yang had a younger sister that she was super close to, a father who had a tough couple of years before picking himself back up and becoming the best father in the world, a cool uncle who always drank but somehow remained functional, and that Yang wanted to become a professional boxer.

“You found all that out on your first day meeting?” she asked while Weiss took a drink from her mimosa.

Weiss shook her head. “I learned all of that on the second day. The first day was on how excited she was and about school. She also talked about boxing and how the ‘ladies loved it.’”

Blake nearly choked on her drink. “She told you that?”

“Yes; I had almost the same reaction.” She shook her head before sipping on her own drink. She signaled the waitress for two more mimosas.

“Are you planning on getting me drunk? I still have to drive home you know.” Blake commented before downing her mimosa, excited for her fourth one.

“We both know you won’t get drunk off of four.” Weiss rolled her eyes before finishing her own drink.

Blake was going to continue complaining but decided against it. “Is that how you met Ruby?” she asked instead.

A soft blush appeared on Weiss’ face at the mention of her girlfriend. “Yes.” She said with a smile. “Yang forgot something so Ruby brought it to her.”

“Was it love at first sight?” Blake teased.

“Not even close. Ruby was in such a rush that she literally ran into me. She knocked us both to the ground.” The waitress came then and set their drinks on the coffee table. Weiss thanked her before reaching to grab a champagne flute. She looked over at Blake and noticed that she was just starting at her. “What?” and with that one word, Blake burst out laughing. Some of the other occupants of the restaurant turned to stare.

The mimosas were definitely starting to hit the cat Faunus. “She knocked you down?! That’s how you guys met?!”

“Yes! The worst part is that after we fell, Yang looked at us, spread her arms out and yelled ‘safe!’ I didn’t get it until an hour later!”

Blake could not stop laughing, even if she tried. She could picture it so clearly. “Please tell me there is footage of that saved somewhere in the Schnee security files!”

The heiress sighed heavily. “Yes, there is. Yang asked to see it the day after. I have it saved on my scroll.”

“You have to let me see it! Please!”

“Fine.” Weiss reluctantly agreed. “You just want to see me looking like a fool.”

“No,” Blake reached over and grabbed her drink, taking a sip. “I just want to see Ruby sweeping you off your feet.”

“I hate you.”

“Love you too.”

Before Weiss could say anymore, the waitress came back asking with they wanted to order any food. Weiss asked that they be moved to the table she had originally requested and they both got up from their seats and followed the waitress outside. They sat at the same table as last time and they both got comfortable before the same waitress asked if they knew what they wanted or if they needed more time.

“I’ll have the spinach and egg white omelet with a side of fruit, please.” Weiss told the waitress.

“And I’ll have buttermilk pancakes with a side of bacon, thank you.”

After writing down their order, the waitress disappeared into the kitchen and both girls were left alone. Neither of them said anything as they sat there in comfortable silence. Weiss was busy on her scroll, no doubt going over business emails and ignoring messages from her father. Blake had pulled out her book again and was reading the final chapters. This was one of the many things Blake liked about Weiss; she didn’t feel the need to always fill the silence with chatter. It was something that had always seemed to happen with them, even back in school. Of course, they would chat for a little bit just to catch up on whatever needed to be said before they both became quiet again.

Their food was brought out to them not long after and they both ate in silence. Halfway through their meal, Weiss’ scroll went off and when she looked she smiled and picked up the device.

“I’m assuming that’s Ruby?” Blake asked with a smile.

“You assumed correctly.” Weiss said while replying to her girlfriend. “She’s letting me know that she just woke up and is about to go to work. Oh! That reminds me, you still need to get your car fixed, right?”

“Yes, I do. I had to use Sun’s car again and I can tell that even he’s getting annoyed with it.”

“Here, let me give you Ruby’s number and she can help you.”

“Ruby? Ruby’s the mechanic that you were talking about?”

“Yes, that’s who I was talking about.” Weiss said while pulling up her contact information. She sent her number to Blake’s scroll before setting her scroll down. “I’ve seen her fix a few cars and other things at her uncle’s garage. She’s really good.”

“Well, if you say that she is then I’ll be sure to get my car to her.” Blake said with a smile as she added Ruby to her contacts. As she entered in her last name, something occurred to her. “Hey, how come her and Yang have different last names?”

Weiss sighed heavily before answering. “It’s not my story to tell. You’ll have to ask Yang.”

“I…okay.” Blake answered while setting her scroll back down.

“Sorry, I just don’t want to say anything without making sure Yang is alright with it.”

“It’s alright, Weiss. I can understand that. I wouldn’t want you saying anything about me to her unless I said it was okay.” Blake cleared her throat. “Anyways, we should get together with Ruby again so we can all talk and get to know each other.”

“We can always double date,” Weiss suggested while finishing off her omelet. “Since now you’re seeing her older sister.”

Blake’s face grew warm at the mention of Yang. “Yeah I guess you’re right. I want to see the two of you together; I’m sure it’s entertaining.”

“And I want to see how flustered you get being around her.” Weiss teased.

Blake made a face at her and finished off her pancakes. The waitress came by and asked if they wanted anything else and both girls answered no, both of them content with the number of drinks they had and the amount of food they both ate. She placed the check down on the table and left them alone shortly after. Picking up the bill, Blake felt herself sigh before reaching onto her purse to pull out her wallet.

“You know I’ll pay for it if you want me to.” Weiss offered.

“No, I said I would pay so I will.” She pulled out her card and set it down on top of the receipt. “I just wasn’t planning on having as many mimosas as we did. I might have to just chill out here for a while. I don’t want to go driving like this.”

Weiss looked down at her scroll. “I can give you a ride back to the bar and have one of the drivers bring back Sun’s car.”

“That works for me. I really don’t want to stay here; I’m almost done with this book and I didn’t bring another one.”

“Let’s go then. You can tell me all about it on the ride back to Sea Monkeys.”

Ten minutes later, the bill paid, and their thanks said, both girls headed outside towards the town car that was waiting for Weiss. They both climbed into the back and Weiss gave the address to the bar. As soon as the car pulled away, Blake went into detail about the book she was reading, and Weiss simply nodded her head and made noises of acknowledgement. Weiss didn’t have any time to read so whenever Blake read a new book, she would ask her about it and experience the book through her. Honestly, Blake didn’t mind telling her everything that happened. It was a way for her to get things off of her chest and vent about what she thought should have happened instead of what did happen. By the time she finished telling her all that she knew, they had pulled up to the bar. Blake undid her seatbelt and reached into her purse, pulling out the keys to Sun’s car.

“Here, I’ll text him and let him know just in case he comes home early.”

“Make sure to text Ruby and let her know what day and time works for you. I already let her know that you have her number and she’s expecting a text from you.”

“I’ll let you know what happens.” Blake opened up the door and stepped out into the hot summer day. She turned back to Weiss and smiled. “See you later, Ice Queen.”

“Bye, kitty cat.” Weiss rolled her eyes while smiling.

Shutting the door, Blake made her way towards the stairs of the apartment and quickly went up and inside. Once the door was closed and locked, she pulled out her scroll and sent a quick text to Sun explaining the situation with the car before going to the recently added information for Ruby.

**Me:** _Hey Ruby, it’s Blake. Weiss gave me your number so I could take my car to you; when is a good day for you?_

**Ruby Rose:** _Hiya Blake! U can bring it by today if u want! I’m currently not doing anything._

**Me:** _Sure I can do that. What time works for you?_

**Ruby Rose:** _Any time! I’ll send u the address so u can come by :)_

The address came in shorty after and she was pleased to know the garage wasn’t that far from where she was at. She text Ruby saying she’d be there in about an hour and a half and the brunette sent her a reply back saying she’d see her then.

Might as well finish my book, Blake thought as she pulled it out of her purse and sat down on the couch. Not too long later she finished it and set the book down; that ending was definitely not what she expected, but she was happy with it, nonetheless. She could still feel a small buzz from the alcohol, so she decided to lay down and take a nap before going to the garage. All she remembered was closing her eyes before sleep claimed her.

~*~*~*~

Blake pulled up to Branwen’s Garage and eased her car into a spot right outside of the front door. Once she put it into park and shut it off, she climbed out and headed towards the front office. As she headed towards the office, she saw Ruby standing inside talking with an older man. Blake recognized him from Yang’s recent match; it was her uncle, Qrow Branwen. Ruby must have seen movement from her peripheral because she turned and once she saw Blake she waved excitedly. Blake waved back and headed inside, a blast of cold air hitting her face.

“Hiya, Blake! Glad you found the shop okay!” Ruby said excitedly while going and giving the cat Faunus a brief hug.

“It wasn’t too far from the bar.” Blake admitted, slightly shocked when the girl gave her a hug. She barely had time to return the hug before Ruby returned to her uncle’s side.

“This is my Uncle Qrow! He owns the garage.” She turned to the dark-haired man. “This is Blake, Weiss’ best friend and Yang’s possible future girlfriend.”

Blake felt her face grow warm as she extended her hand to shake Qrow’s. “Blake Belladonna, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you as well.” Qrow answered, shaking her hand. Blake noticed the recognition in his eyes, and she was glad he didn’t say anything. “That your car outside?”

“Yes, that’s it.” She briefly explained what was wrong with it. “I had been told that it was fixed but not even a week later the same problems started happening again. I kept trying to get in contact with them but nothing.”

“Don’t worry, I can fix it!” Ruby said with a smile. She went up to Blake and linked their arms together and began dragging her back outside. “I’ll get started right away! See you later Uncle Qrow!”

He waved goodbye to the both of them and they both walked outside where Ruby went to Blake’s car so she could move it inside the garage. The cat Faunus handed her the keys and kept to the side while Ruby moved the vehicle. It didn’t take long for the brunette to set up her station and pop open the roof of the car and Blake sat down on a nearby table that Ruby had cleared off for her. Blake watched with mild fascination as Ruby began to work her magic. Blake honestly had no idea on what exactly she was doing, so she figured sitting off to the side and reading a new book would be best for everyone involved.

Ruby was singing along to whatever song was playing and every so often she would ask Blake a question about the book she was reading. She explained it was a romance book (Ruby had turned and gave her a smirk while Blake looked away, a blush on her face) but that she wasn’t entirely sure what it was about yet since she had just started reading it.

“It’s from one of my favorite authors, so I’m mainly reading it because it’s from her.”

“You can always just say that you like romance books, Blake. No judgement from me.” Ruby answered; it was slightly muffled since she was currently bent over inside the car.

Instead of answering, Blake stuck her face back in her book and continued where she had left off. “So…Ruby…I’m assuming either Weiss or Yang told you about our date yesterday, right?”

“Yup!” she said while standing up straight. She set down something on the worktable near her before going back in. “Yang was the one who told me initially that she asked you out. Oh man, I’ve never seen her so nervous and excited before. She’s not even like that before a fight. But I swear she wouldn’t stop talking about how pretty you are.”

Blake blushed at her words. “That’s sweet of her…”

“Oh yeah for sure! Even on the night that we met you she wouldn’t stop staring! Like that was even before she was introduced to you. She had no idea who you were yet, and she had leaned over to tell me that you were super-hot. Her words, not mine.” Ruby rambled on. “But like when she had gotten up to get a drink and then when she came back she had this stupid smile on her face the whole time and when she sat down she sighed and said that you had a beautiful smile.”

“She did?”

“Yes! And then she continued to talk about you until you showed up at the table. After you left the first time she turned to the both of us and just smiled. That’s when she noticed your scroll on the table and she volunteered herself to go and take it to you.” She got quiet for a bit as she took out another piece of Blake’s car and set it down next to the first item she had pulled out. “After we left I got a text from her saying she had given you her number and I swear she was waiting for you to text her. When I saw her the day after she looked so bummed out because you hadn’t text her yet. It was like that for a whole month until her last match when you finally text her. Her smile was so big that I thought she was going to hurt her face.”

Blake had nothing to say at what she had just learned. She hadn’t realized that Yang liked her that much. Perhaps she should have text her sooner than she originally had…but then maybe things wouldn’t have worked out the way that they did. “Was she moping the whole time I hadn’t text?”

“Nah not really. She had other things to focus on, like the match. Why didn’t you text her? You seemed to like her enough.”

“I…well it’s kind of a person reason…” Blake evaded answering.

“Say no more, I understand.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem! Besides, it doesn’t matter now. All that matters is that you text her and you’ve been on a date and she talks about you nonstop.”

“Thanks, Ruby.” She gave her a smile, even though she couldn’t see it. “So, Weiss told me today on how the both of you met.”

Ruby laughed as she popped back up and wiped off some sweat on the sleeve of her black t-shirt. “She did? It definitely wasn’t a good first impression. Not that I was trying to impress her or anything. I honestly had no idea who she was at the time; I didn’t find out until around the time she was trying to call for security.”

“She tried to get you kicked out?” Blake let out a laugh. “That sounds like her.”

“Yeah! Yang had to explain to her that I was her sister and that I was just there to give Yang her scroll. She had forgotten it so I had gone to take it back to her since I knew she would probably need it. I thought I had enough time to stop but I apparently didn’t. I felt so bad and I kept trying to make it up to her, but she wouldn’t have it. For months I tried to get her to at least like me a little and eventually it paid off because we became friends.”

“You’ve known her the same amount of time as Yang then?”

“Yup!”

Blake stayed silent as Ruby continued with her task. So, Yang hadn’t been the only person that Weiss didn’t tell her about. She understood why, but it still hurt a little knowing that her best friend had two other friends that she had never heard about but that at least knew she existed. She tried not to let it bother her too much though. After all, they had all met now and she was definitely in a better place than she had been before.

“Are you going to school or anything?” Blake asked Ruby.

“Not at the moment. I help out here at the garage and also at my dad’s gym when he needs it. I’m planning on looking at Beacon University to see what kind of classes I can take to make me a better mechanic.” She got quiet as she struggled with something inside the car. Ruby let out a frustrated sigh.

“Everything okay?”

“I’m just having trouble with this one part.” Ruby answered. Blake got up from her spot on the table and went to take a peek. “This one stupid bolt won’t come off.”

There wasn’t much Blake could do either, so she stood there looking down at Ruby as the brunette continued to struggle and try and get the part off. After another unsuccessful attempt, Ruby let out another sigh and moved away from the vehicle. She let Blake know she’d be right back, and the cat Faunus watched as she left the garage. Shrugging her shoulders, Blake went and sat back down on the table that she had previously been sitting and easily jumped back on, opening her book once again.

It wasn’t that long later that she heard Ruby’s voice and two sets of footsteps. She figured it was her uncle coming to help her, until she heard a familiar laugh.

“Seriously, Rubes, you couldn’t get a simple bolt off?”

“I tried alright! I think it might be welded on by whoever fixed it first.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I was here training and not at dads, otherwise you’d be screwed.” She heard Yang laugh and her pulse quickened; they were getting closer. “Where did they even take it before coming here?”

“You can always ask them yourself.”

As they rounded the corner, Blake was finally able to see them both and the first thing she noticed was Ruby’s sly smile and when she looked at Yang – holy shit all she saw were abs. She let her eyes roam down for only a second and in that second, she saw that Yang was wearing form fitting workout pants and only a sports bra. Sure, she had seen her matches where she was wearing a lot less but seeing those abs in person...hot damn. She forced her eyes back up and once gold met lilac she could see the smile slowly forming on her face.

“Hey, Blake.”

“Hi, Yang.”

They both stared at each other, neither one of them wanting to break eye contact. There was just something in that lilac gaze that made Blake feel…safe? Wanted? Desired? All of the above? It was an entirely new feeling; one that she wasn’t at all familiar with. There was a shift happening between them both, and she had to know if she was the only one who felt this.

“Yeah, so um, I need help with this bolt?” Ruby spoke, breaking the silence.

Yang blinked her eyes and looked over at her sister. “R-right.”

Blake watched (and by that she tried _not_ to look at Yang’s abs, which was really hard to do) as both of the sisters went to work on her car. They both were talking to each other about car things that Blake had no idea what it meant, and out of pure curiosity, Blake got back up from her spot and went to go see what was going on.

“See what I mean? It’s like super tight on there.”

“I don’t think it’s welded like how you said. I just think whatever asshole did this tightened it a little too well. Nothing I can’t handle though.” Yang boasted. She grabbed the wrench that Ruby had been using and began to turn it.

There was no way Blake could look away even if she wanted to. She could see the muscles in Yang’s arms flexing with every move that she made. After a few more twists, Yang got the bolt off and tossed it at Ruby who caught it and placed it down on her worktable. Blake had expected Yang to just help and then leave to go back and practice, but instead, she stayed and helped Ruby fix the part. Blake was leaning against her car watching as Yang explained what it was that had gone wrong and explaining as best she could to Blake who was genuinely interested but she was having a hard time making sense of anything that was being said. It still didn’t stop her from listening intently to what the blonde had to say, and every time Blake looked up to look at her face, she could see just how passionate she was about what she was talking about.

“You must really like working on cars.” Blake commented as she watched Yang put in the new carburetor (she hadn’t realized that that was the issue with her car until Ruby mentioned it).

“Yeah, it’s a fun hobby. I help out here whenever I can but for the most part I’m training.”

“You don’t have any other hobbies?” Blake asked curiously.

“Aside from boxing and working on cars? Well yeah, I have a few other things that I like doing.”

“Like what?”

Yang grinned while looking up at Blake. She had a grease stain on her cheek and Blake had to fight the urge to clean it off, just so she could touch her skin. “I’ll show you some time.”

Blake gave her a smile right back. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Ugh will you guys stop flirting? Yang hurry up and fix it before I do.” Ruby interrupted.

A blush formed on both of their faces and Yang finished up what she was doing before she stood up and stretched. Blake visibly swallowed as she looked at the expanse of skin on Yang’s stomach. Her eyes traveled up to her chest where they stayed longer than what they should have. Yang caught her staring and gave her a knowing wink before putting her arms down. Ruby began to cheer as she cleaned up her workstation. She began talking a mile a minute about who knows what; Blake honestly wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying.

“What do you think, Blake?”

“Huh?” Blake snapped her attention to Ruby who was staring at her.

“I said, how would you feel about going on a double date? Weiss had text me earlier mentioning it.”

“Well, I guess that depends.” She answered.

“On what?” Ruby asked curiously.

“If Yang says yes to going on a date with me.” Blake looked over at Yang who was staring at her; her eyes wide.

“Are you asking me out?” Yang asked, her smile growing.

“Yes, I am.” Blake said as she gave her a smile as she tried to hide how nervous she was about asking.

“I’d love to go out with you, again, sweetheart.” The smile she gave Blake was so genuine that she felt her breath hitch. “We can decide on what we do another time.”

“Sounds good to me!” Ruby exclaimed. “I’ll let Weiss know so she can start planning everything.” She felt around for her phone and groaned. “I think I left it in the office again. I’ll be right back!”

She ran out of the room but honestly, both girls didn’t really notice. Blake was fidgeting with the bottom of her shirt and Yang had her hands resting on her hips. They stayed like that until Yang cleared her throat and moved so she could close the hood of the car. Once it was slammed down, she leaned against the roof and patted the area next to her so Blake could sit down with her. Blake crossed the space in seconds and once she was close enough, she situated herself next to the blonde who had shifted so she could face her.

“So, are you stalking me now?” Yang asked with a smile.

“No! Weiss knew I was having trouble with my car, so she recommended me to Ruby.” Blake explained briefly. “I didn’t even know you’d be here until you came back with her.”

“Normally I would have gone to my dad’s gym, but I was going to work on Bumblebee a little bit, so I decided to come here. Plus, there are less distractions here then at the gym.”

“Distractions?”

“People know that I train there, so sometimes they go and see me while I’m working out. The regulars there know not to bother me but sometimes if new people come, they automatically start chatting with me and trying to take pictures. It gets distracting but I don’t want to be rude and turn them away.”

“Aren’t they being rude for disrupting your training?”

“They technically are, but without the fans I would just be another no name boxer. So, I usually don’t mind but today I was already distracted so I didn’t need to have any other kinds of distractions to get in my way.”

Blake smiled. “Any particular reason on why you were so distracted?”

Yang laughed and nudged her with her elbow. “As if you don’t know.”

She laughed at her response and nudged her back. “You know, Ruby was telling me on how miserable you were that whole time I didn’t text you.”

Yang groaned. “She told you that? Little brat.” She sighed and turned and gave Blake a smile. “I was a little bummed, but I figured you had your reasons. So, I didn’t take it too badly. I was just happy that you text me when you did.”

“So am I.” Blake agreed while giving her a smile right back. “I’m…really happy I got to see you again today. Even if it was unexpected.”

“I’m happy I did too. Definitely the highlight of my day.” Yang said with a small laugh, nudging Blake again. She shifted again to face her, Blake doing the same thing, so they were now looking straight at each other. “I forgot to text you this, but I just have to know.”

“Know what?” Blake asked, her head tilting to the side.

“What made you decide to kiss me?” Yang asked, tilting her own head to the side to mirror Blake.

“I…I um…” she felt the warmth on her face travel all the way down her neck and onto her chest. “I just…it just felt like…the right thing to do…if that makes sense.”

“It makes perfect sense.” Yang answered, her smile never wavering. “I’m happy that you did, even though I kind of forgot where I was at the moment.”

“So that explains the dazed look you had on your face.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Yang said with a laugh. Her lilac eyes were swimming with amusement and Blake could feel herself falling into them. “Maybe on our next date I’ll return the favor.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.” Blake answered honestly.

The answer seemed to catch Yang off guard because she didn’t say anything; instead, her face turned a nice pink color and she once again cleared her throat while turning away. This girl was so smooth and confident one minute and then shy and blushing the next. It was really invigorating, knowing that Blake was the reason behind this.

“So um, how was your morning?”

“It was really good. I had breakfast with Weiss, and she told me how you two met.”

“She did, huh?” Yang gave a soft smile.

“Yeah, it was interesting to know that you’ve both been friends for so long.” Blake thought briefly about how Weiss had never mentioned her before and decided then that she didn’t want to bring it up. “She also told me on how she met Ruby.”

“You mean how my sister literally swept her off her feet?”

Blake let out a laugh. “That’s what I told her. She’s supposed to show me the video of it.”

Before Yang could answer, Ruby came running back in. “Hey, Yang, Uncle Qrow is looking for you. He said something about how he’s going to make you run laps until your legs fall off.”

Yang laughed. “I guess that’s my cue to leave.” She stood up from her seat on top of the car and turned to look at Blake. “I’m happy that I got to see you.”

“Me too.” Blake answered, giving her a smile.

Yang went and gave Ruby a one-armed hug and ruffled her hair, earning a cry of complaint from the younger girl. She let out a laugh and was on her way out when she turned back around. “Oh, I just had a great idea! Blake, would you maybe like to come and see me practice?”

“Seriously? You want me to?”

“Of course! On Friday’s the gym opens late so I can have a few hours of uninterrupted practice. Ruby will be there to help, and I think my dad might also be there. You’re more than welcome to come.”

Blake stayed silent; she couldn’t possibly be serious right? Judging by the look on her face, she knew that Yang meant what she said. “Sure,” she agreed. “I’ll be there.”

“That’s great!” her eyes lit up as her smile grew brighter. “I’ll text you what time to come. I’ll see you around, sweetheart.”

They both watched as she walked out of the room and once Blake could no longer hear her retreating footsteps, she looked to see that Ruby was smiling at her. “What?”

“She really likes you. Yang’s never invited anyone to her practices before.” The brunette said as she wiped her hands on a rag. “So, the fact that she invited you is a big thing.”

Blake looked down and didn’t try to stop he smile that spread across her lips. “I like her a lot too, you know.”

“I kinda figured.” Ruby said with a laugh. “I can see it every time I mentioned her. But anyways, your car is done! It should be good to go but if anything starts acting up just text me.”

Blake nodded before heading over to her purse and pulled out her wallet. “How much do I owe you?”

“Ah it’s on the house.”

“Wait, what? No, I couldn’t.”

“Seriously, it’s fine. I talked to my uncle and he said it was okay if I didn’t charge you. He just said to make sure you know that he’s not going to do this every time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Blake, it’s fine!” she said with another laugh.

“Thank you.” Blake said while giving her a smile.

“It’s no problem at all.” Ruby said with a smile.

Fifteen minutes later, Blake was nearly back at Sea Monkeys. Weiss had text her before she left saying that Sun’s car was parked in his usual spot at the bar and sure enough, when Blake turned in his light blue car was sitting where it always was. Weiss had also informed her that the keys were hiding beneath the left front tire. When she parked and got out, she reached for the keys and carried them with her to the apartment.

What a day, she thought to herself as she climbed the stairs and entered her apartment for the second time that day. Everything was as she left it, but she could hear faint movement coming from the office. Placing her purse and keys on top of the kitchen table, she walked to the office where she could hear the voice of Sun. She opened the door and found him sitting down and going over some paperwork.

“Hey, Sun.” she said as she entered the room.

“Hi, Blake! Where have you been? I noticed when I got here that your car was gone.”

“I took it to go get fixed. Turns out Ruby is the mechanic that Weiss had recommended to me a while back.”

“No kidding.” Sun said while turning his attention back to the paperwork he was currently looking at. No doubt it was bills. “So, tell me about your date with Yang? I think I’m the only one who doesn’t know what happened.”

Blake rolled her eyes but sat down and began to tell that story of her date with Yang. Sun listened for the most part and only interrupted a few times to ask her what she had to eat and how riding her motorcycle was. She went into detail about their experience with Maria and how Blake had learned that Weiss had once mentioned that Yang would like her. It brought up the whole other conversation between her and Weiss this morning and after retelling on how Ruby and Weiss met, it had Sun laughing in his seat, his paperwork long forgotten.

“Oh, man. Yang seriously yelled out safe after they fell on the floor?”

“That’s what Weiss said. I still haven’t seen the footage yet.”

“When are you going to see her again?”

“Well, we’re supposed to go on a double date some time soon. We just aren’t sure on when yet.” Blake paused for a moment before continuing. “She even invited me to go and see her practice this Friday.”

“Are you serious?! That is totally bad ass! Are you going?”

“I told her I would, so I’ll be there. I’m just not sure on what time that’ll be. Probably early though.”

“Well, let me know if you need the night off.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine Sun.” she said while rolling her eyes. “Anyways, I’m going to take a nap before my shift.”

Sun said nothing but waved at her as she left the office, closing the door behind her. As she made her way to her bedroom, so many thoughts were swimming around her head. Why did Yang want her to go see her practice? Was she just being nice? From her experience with Adam, he never wanted her around when he practiced. Well, only towards the end if she was being honest. In the beginning, he liked having her there too and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing him in action. It wasn’t until a few years later that he told her to stop coming; he would at first say that she was a distraction to him because he always wanted to look at her. From there it went to he didn’t want other people staring at her because of how pretty she was; he didn’t want any eyes on her except for his. She had always thought it was cute and slightly romantic. Blake didn’t realize until later that it was just another way for him to have control.

Yang definitely wasn’t like that though. She genuinely seemed to want her there. This could be a great way to get to know one another, Blake rationalized. She could always talk to her during her breaks and find out more about the blonde. After all, it was something that she was once good at.

Blake kicked off her shoes and went and laid down on top of her blankets. She pulled her scroll out from her pocket and was about to set an alarm when she saw a text from Yang. Thinking it was just a message saying on how much she enjoyed her visit, she opened it. What she wasn’t expecting was a picture.

In the picture, Yang was standing in front of a mirror; her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail, much like the one she had when Blake was still at the garage. She was flexing her right arm and was standing at an angle that showed off the definition of her abs as well as her butt. She was staring right at the camera and was winking, the mischievous look evident in her visible lilac eye. The caption was simply a winky face and a cat emoji with the heart eyes.

Blake visibly swallowed and let the scroll fall from her grasp. Holy fuck, she was so screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay! I'm thinking about moving the publishing day to Saturday instead of Friday; that way I have an extra day in between. Yesterday was such a busy day for me that I really didn't have much time to write. Writing this has also been a bitch since I got my nails done for Halloween and I forgot how hard it is to type with these stupid things. Seriously counting down the days until I can take them off lol.
> 
> Special shout out to Hellwrym for the idea to make Ruby the mechanic instead of Yang! I hope I did your idea justice =)
> 
> So this coming week is Halloween and also the premier of RWBY volume seven! There will be no spoilers so please be respectful to those who can't watch it right away. I'm so excited!!
> 
> The books Blake reads this chapter are "Brave" and "Tempting the Best Man" both by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Also, I know absolutely nothing about cars which is why the details are so vague lol. I had to ask my dad for help on some of it.
> 
> Thank you for those who are reviewing and leaving kudos; I seriously can't thank you enough!
> 
> Twitter: @VioletSkye413


	9. Chapter Nine

Work definitely was interesting that night. Blake was able to sleep after receiving that picture from Yang, but it felt like she hadn’t gotten much rest. All night, she was spaced out and her mind kept going back to Yang. Thankfully, she didn’t mess up on any drinks, but more than once Neptune had to snap her back into focus. Each time he did, she’d give him an apologetic smile before helping the next customer.

Even though she knew she wouldn’t be there, Blake still kept an eye out for the familiar blonde. She saw a few of the regulars who were saying how excited they were about the upcoming match they were going to show the next day. Blake didn’t want to hear about it, but she couldn’t exactly tell them to stop talking. More than once, people expressed on how they hoped Adam kept his title since he was such a good fighter. After every interaction, she could feel herself becoming more and more emotionally tired.

Around midnight, she finally had enough and offered to do inventory for the rest of the night. Neptune had agreed and said that if he needed any help he’d go and get her. He only called her out twice the rest of the night and once last call was announced, she came back out to help clean up and restock the ice chests.

“Don’t worry,” Neptune said as she wiped down one of the counters. “By the next match no one is going to be talking about him and you’ll be better.”

“Thanks.” Blake said with a small smile. “I’m hoping that it’ll be better after tomorrow, but I won’t hold my breath.”

Neptune gave her a small smile before returning to the register to balance it out. Once everything was cleaned and restocked, they both retreated upstairs where Sun was at; he had let Blake know that they would be staying with her at the apartment since Sun was going to be opening the next day. Once they made it upstairs, they walked into the kitchen where Sun had dinner waiting for them. He had gone out of his way and made stir-fry with noodles, pineapple, beef, and cut up carrots and bell peppers. The pineapple was mainly for Blake; she loved pineapple.

“Sun, you didn’t have to do this. But it is appreciated.” Blake said a she sat down at the table.

“You do know you have to be up early, right?” Neptune asked as he went and gave Sun a kiss on the cheek before sitting down in front of Blake.

“Yeah I know but you guys worked hard tonight! So, I decided to make you something good for when you got out.” Sun went and stood behind Neptune’s chair, his hands resting on his shoulders. “Besides, I took a nap before I started cooking, so I should be alright.”

After that they all sat in silence as Neptune and Blake both dug into their own food. Neptune was picking out all the pineapple and putting it into Blake’s bowl who happily ate them as he did. Sun sat there and kept talking nonstop about the upcoming match and all the different drink specials he had come up with and also about his birthday that was the following week.

“I was thinking that maybe we could actually go out to a club or something. My birthday is on a Wednesday so maybe we can close the bar that day and go out?”

“Why don’t you just have it here?” Blake suggested as she ate some noodles. “Close the bar and make it a private party only.”

“Oooor we can go out and not have anyone having to work! I think it sounds fun.” Sun said with a smile. Blake made a face at his suggestion but didn’t say anything as she continued to eat, and Sun continued to talk. “I just think it’ll be fun to get all of us together to do something fun. We can invite Velvet and Yatsuhashi; even Fox and Coco. You know that girl is always down to party and I’m sure she knows the best place we can go to that’s Faunus friendly.”

“You’re right about that.” Neptune agreed. “I think it’s manageable, at least for one night. It really has been such a long time since we all did something together.”

Sun nodded his head in agreement before he let out a huge gasp. “We can invite Yang! Of course, we’ll invite Weiss and Ruby as well. But can you imagine that? A party with Yang Xiao Long!”

“You are fangirling a little too hard over there.” Neptune teased. “I’m starting to get a little jealous.”

“You know I only have eyes for you.” Sun commented while blowing him a kiss. “I just also have eyes for Yang because, hello! Have you seen her?”

Neptune rolled his eyes and continued eating. Blake still hadn’t said anything and when he looked up she could see the amused look in her eyes. Sun may have been making all these plans, but they both knew it was going to be Blake who organized the whole thing. Most of the time, Neptune was a go with the flow kind of guy; give him a starting point and everything after that was whatever. Blake at least liked to have a little structure to what they would do. Between the three of them, things always got done.

“Oh yeah, Blake, weren’t you supposed to go and see Yang today?”

“Huh?” she asked while standing up from her seat. She had just finished eating and was making her way towards the sink to clean her bowl. Neptune held his plate out for her, and she gave him a glare.

“Yeah, you had said you were supposed to watch her practice, right?”

“Well yeah, but that’s not until Friday.”

“Um, Blake today is Friday.” Neptune commented as he stood up and took the plate that Blake had refused to grab to the sink.

Blake said nothing as she let his words sink in. “Oh, son of a—”

Rushing to her room, Blake vaguely heard the sound of Sun laughing. Once she entered her bedroom, she went straight for her scroll where she had left it charging during her lunch break. Sure enough, there was a text message from Yang.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Hey Blake! How’s tomorrow morning around eight? I hope that’s okay since you work tonight. Just let me know ;) <3_

Blake checked the time of the text message and saw that it had been sent around ten thirty; literally minutes after she had plugged her scroll in. Glancing at the time now she saw it was fifteen until four; she was definitely going to need a nap later. She sent a quick reply saying that she would be there and for Yang to just send the address whenever she saw her message and after she hit send, she put the scroll down and went out to the kitchen where Neptune was washing the leftover dishes while Sun stood next to him, his tail wrapped securely around his waist. She smiled at the sight; they had come such a long way from where they had once been.

“Hey guys, I’m going to go ahead and head to bed. Yang wants me to be there around eight, so I need to get a little bit of sleep if I’m going to be functional.”

“That early huh?” Neptune asked as he handed a plate to Sun to dry.

“Yeah…I have a feeling she’s a morning person.”

“That’s gonna be fun.” Sun replied as he dried the dish before putting it away. “Go get some beauty sleep.”

“Goodnight guys.” Blake replied while going to her room. She heard both of them say goodnight and she retreated to her bedroom.

She quickly changed out of her bar clothes and put on a pair of shorts and a tank top. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Blake fell asleep.

~*~*~*~

Blake was definitely out of her comfort zone. She had been sitting in her car for the past ten minutes, trying to find the courage to get out. She wasn’t entirely sure what brought on all these feelings of anxiety; she had already been on a date with Yang, had even agreed to go out on another date and had asked her out. Everything should be alright but…who was she kidding? She was going to be an absolute mess; she was completely infatuated with the blonde woman. She had to get a hold of her emotions before she did something stupid.

Turning off her car, she got out of the vehicle and began to walk towards the tan colored building. The words “Papa Dragon’s Gym” was hanging above the double doors and Blake gave a small laugh; apparently Yang got her humor from her dad. As she reached out to grab the door handle, she realized her hand was shaking. Everything is fine, Blake told herself. She pulled the door open and walked in the building. Everything was set up typically the way any gym would be. Directly in front of her was a reception desk that was currently empty. Behind the desk was a wall with a huge dragon painted in yellow with red roses around it with “P.D.G.” painted below it in black. Off to the left along the wall, there were rows of refrigerators with sports drinks and water; shelves held protein bars and shake mixes and there were also clothes racks filled with t-shirts that had the dragon logo on them and even some shirts that had Yang. There was a hallway to the left, but all Blake could see was a closed door. Before Blake could ponder what was behind the door, a loud thud followed by a groan of pain and a shout of victory were heard.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she made her way passed the reception desk and further into the gym. Way in the back of the gym sat a boxing ring and inside the ring was Yang; it took her a while to notice that Ruby was on her back, making little groaning noises. But if she was being honest, her attention was fully on the blonde-haired beauty. She had her arms raised above her head and was smiling down at Ruby. But that wasn’t all Blake was staring at. Yang was hardly wearing any clothes; the pair of black shorts she was wearing clung to her like a second skin; smooth muscular legs were on full display. Yang’s orange sports bra did nothing to hide how busty she was and those abs…oh, damn that abs. Yang helped Ruby to her feet before turning around to get a drink of water. Staring at her defined back, Blake swallowed. She remembered the picture that Yang and sent her and damn, her ass was even better in person. It should be illegal to be this hot.

“Oh, hey Blake!” hearing her name being called, her golden eyes locked with silver. “When did you get here?”

“Just now.” She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Oh good, you missed me getting my butt kicked.” Ruby laughed.

“I’m sure she’ll see it happen again, if she sticks around.” Blake’s attention snapped back to Yang and she watched transfixed as Yang walked over to where she stood. Leaning over the ropes, Yang looked at her and smiled. “Hi kitten, I’m happy you made it. Did you sleep okay?”

She tried to look annoyed at the nickname, Blake really did, but she couldn’t stop the stupid smile that began to grow on her face. “Hello, Yang. I told you I would come. I slept okay.” She gave her a smile before continuing. “Now, why exactly did you invite me over?”

“Straight to the point, huh?” Yang laughed. Jumping out of the ring with ease, she landed next to Blake. Her lilac eyes never left her golden ones as she spoke again. “I’d like to personally invite you to my next match! It’s this month on the eighteenth.”

“I…what?” clearly Blake didn’t hear her right.

“My next match. It’s actually a title match so the tickets are almost sold out but I’m always able to snag a few, I just have to let Qrow know how many I need.”

All Blake could do was stare. She couldn’t be serious, right? “Are you sure you want me there?” Blake asked timidly.

Yang looked at her, puzzled. “Of course, I do. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have asked you. Did you want to come?”

“No! I mean yes, I’d love to go. I just…won’t you think that I’m just being a distraction?”

“The best kind of distraction!” Yang said with a wink. “Who knows, maybe you’ll be my good luck charm.”

Blake let out a small laugh. “I doubt that. But yes, I’ll go.”

Yang’s smile was so bright that Blake’s heart began to beat a mile a minute. “Yes, awesome! I’m happy you’ll be going, Blake! I’ll be sure to blow you a kiss when I retain my title.”

Blake rolled her eyes but smiled. “Someone is full of themselves.”

“Nah, just confident because I know you’ll be there.”

Blake could only stare as she let the words sink in. Yang slowly lifted her left hand and brushed a lock of black hair behind her human ear; even though this wasn’t the first time Yang had done this, it still felt so comforting. Blake found herself leaning into the warmth of her touch; when she looked into Yang’s eyes, she could clearly see the affection the woman had for her. It scared the hell out of her. And yet…she couldn’t find it within herself to pull away.

“Would you like to watch me kick Ruby’s ass again?” Yang whispered. Blake let out a giggle and nodded her head. “Oh damn, I could get used to that sound.”

“You’re so corny.” Blake teased while letting out another laughed.

Yang gave her a smirk. “Actually, I’m really hor—”

“Okay! Time to get back to practice!” Blake exclaimed while pushing her away. “You perv.” She knew for a fact that her face was red.

Yang threw her head back laughing. “Just sit back and enjoy the view.” She jumped back into the ring. Turning around, she leaned over the rope and beckoned for Blake to move closer. Once Blake was close enough, Yang whispered into her cat ear. “I know how much you like to watch.”

Moving away from the ropes, Blake could only watch as Yang sauntered back over to grab her mouth guard. Blake felt her face heat up at the realization that she had been caught staring. But how? She was so sure that she been quiet entering the building, not to mention Yang had been facing the other way and Ruby had been on the ground. Turning towards her left, she was about to go sit down on some bleachers when she caught movement. Turning her head to the left, she saw a row of televisions; on said TVs were images of various parts of the gym, including the front entrance and where she was currently standing. Yang must have seen her checking her out while she was celebrating her victory. The bitch. Now that she was both embarrassed and somehow more infatuated than before, she walked the rest of the way to the bleachers and plopped herself down. The sisters had already begun their match and she watched with only mild fascination as they circled each other.

It was Ruby who threw the first punch, after that, Blake didn’t bother trying to keep up. Seconds later, a loud thud echoed through the empty building as Ruby landed on her back. The smaller girl pushed herself back up and both of them tapped each other’s gloves and went again. After the third round, Blake reached into her bag and pulled out the book she was currently reading. Opening it up, she began to lose herself to the story, the sounds of the sisters strangely comforting. It wasn’t until the fourth thud that Blake finally looked up to watch once more. Ruby was already back on her feet and they were circling each other once more. Keeping her eyes on the younger sibling, Blake finally realized what Ruby was doing wrong. The young girl was knocked to the ground again and just like before, she got back up and tapped gloves with Yang’s again. This time, Blake stood up and made her way over to the ring.

She watched patiently, waiting for the right moment. Right about…there! “Ruby! Left up!”

Almost instinctively, Ruby lifted her left arm up, effectively blocking the right hook that kept knocking her down. Using Yang’s surprise to her advantage, the younger girl punched her sister right in her stomach that she had left wide open. Getting the wind knocked out of her, Yang fell to one knee and Ruby quickly went and jumped on Yang’s back, knocking her off her feet, forcing her to land on her stomach with an “oof!” They both let out a laugh as Ruby yelled that she had won. Using Ruby’s “victory” as a distraction, Yang grabbed her sister’s arm and flung her off her back and onto the ground. Ruby’s air left her lungs once she hit the ground. Blake shook her head but smiled, nonetheless.

“I didn’t tap out, little sis.” Yang laughed.

“Right…” Ruby wheezed while lifting up her arm and giving a thumbs up.

Yang got to her feet and stepped over Ruby, making her way towards where Blake was standing. Sitting down in front of her, Yang stared into her eyes. “How did you know to tell Ruby to lift up her left arm?”

Looking away, Blake thought of the best way to answer. “Well, I was watching her make the same mistake over and over again. It was starting to hurt me.” Turning her attention back to Yang, she smirked. “Besides, it was nice to see you brought to you knees.”

Yang only stared at her and as Blake began to realize just how those words sounded, she began to blush furiously. As she realized this, Yang gave her a mischievous smile, leaning closer to the blushing Faunus, Yang whispered. “I bet you could bring me to my knees if you asked nicely.”

She couldn’t bring herself to move back even if she wanted to. Gold was locked with lilac and Blake could feel herself getting lost in daydream after daydream about what could possibly happen between the two of them. Yang’s smile grew wider, drawing Blake’s attention to her lips. She wondered if they would feel soft against her own and Blake found herself biting her lower lip, her sharp canine pulling at the sensitive skin. The smile from Yang’s face quickly faded and became a thin line as she realized the effect on the girl in front of her. Her eyes darted to Blake’s lips and she let out a breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding. Blake’s ear twitched as she heard Ruby groan and shift. It was enough to break whatever spell they were under and Blake took a step away from the ring, away from Yang.

The moment was shattered completely when Ruby came running, jumping onto Yang’s back again. “Thanks so much for the help, Blake! How did you know what to say to get me to lift my arm?!”

Looking at the younger girl, Blake smiled. “I’m very observant.”

“So cool! I bet you’d be an awesome sparring partner! You should totally spar with Yang! I bet you could beat her!”

“That sounds like a great idea.” Yang looked at Blake again, this time her eyes swimming with amusement. “What do you say Blake, want to spar with me?”

Giving a small smile, she shook her head. “Maybe another time. I don’t think you’re prepared to lose in front of your sister.”

Yang and Ruby both laughed, and Blake joined in moments later. “Oh, it’s on, Belladonna.” Yang enthused. “Come on Rubes, let’s go again!”

As the two sisters began to spar again, Blake went back to her seat and picked up her book once more. That was close, she thought. She wasn’t ready yet to tell Yang about her being with Adam…or even another piece of her past. It was definitely something for a later day. Flipping the page of her book, she looked up briefly to see Yang showing Ruby how to successfully get out of a rear naked choke and Ruby didn’t look all too thrilled to be in the position she was in. Blake tried not to laugh at her predicament, so she focused her attention back to her book. For the next hour, Blake sat there and went back and forth between watching them practice and reading her book. She had made it halfway through the novel when she heard the gym door open again. Looking up she saw that both Ruby and Yang had stopped what they were doing and were waving at whoever had just walked in.

Coming around the corner, Blake saw a man with sandy blond hair and a huge smile on his face. His blue eyes were going between both girls and Blake knew immediately that this was their dad, Taiyang. He waved to both girls and she watched as they both jumped out of the ring to go and give the older gentleman a hug.

“Hey, dad!” Ruby said excitedly, her arm still around his waist. “How was your morning?”

“It was really good.” Taiyang answered while ruffling her hair. She let out a sound of protest before he turned to Yang. “How was practice today?”

“Great! I got a lot done all things considered.”

“That’s good.” He answered. She watched as they both began to talk about different techniques that Yang could use for the next round when she heard it.

No way…she thought as she heard little scratches along the floor. Seconds later, she saw what was making her hair stand on end. It was small and stood on short stubby legs; its fur was grey and white, and the dumb thing had a red collar on. It was sniffing the ground around Taiyang’s feet and as soon as it looked up, it made eye contact with her. Blake stood up slowly from her seat and tried to slowly back away; she wasn’t sure where exactly she was going to go, but she knew she had to get away before—

The dog let out a loud bark and took off running right towards her. On instinct, she jumped up higher onto the bleachers, trying very hard not to hiss at the horrible creature in front of her. The dog was having difficulty climbing the bleachers but after he cleared the first one, Blake knew he would be able to reach her easily. So, she ran down the bleachers and jumped into the ring, clearing it in one leap. The short dog jumped down easily and jumped on to the side of the ring, but he was too short to make it inside, so he stood there and began to bark.

During this whole time, Blake had forgotten completely that Yang and her family were standing there. It wasn’t until she heard laughter that she finally remembered, turning her head towards the source of the laughing. Taiyang was staring at her curiously while Ruby was trying to hard not to laugh. Yang on the other hand, was holding her sides as she continued to laugh.

“Oh, my gods, Blake I am so sorry!” Yang said between laughs. “I didn’t think you’d be scared of him.”

“I’m not scared!” Blake said through clenched teeth. She kept her distance from where the barking dog was at, her eyes darting between the dog and Yang.

“Right,” Yang answered as she went around and picked the dog off of the floor. “Blake, this is Zwei, our dog. Zwei, this is Blake.”

The dog – Zwei – wagged his little tail and barked once at her before letting his tongue roll out of his mouth. Yang carried him over to Ruby where she asked if she could go put him in the office for now. Blake didn’t relax until the dog was out of her sight. Once he was gone, Blake turned her attention back to Yang and her father, who were both standing there staring at her with amused smiles on her face.

“You mind coming out of there so I can introduce you?” Yang asked with a smile.

Blake’s face grew red as she made her way towards the edge of the ring where she climbed out gracefully before jumping down and landing in front of Yang and her dad. He had a huge smile on his face.

“You have some good reflexes.” He said before extending his hand. “My name’s Taiyang Xiao Long, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Blake Belladonna.” She said while shaking his hand. Again, she saw recognition in his eyes, but he said nothing. “I guess you could say I have cat like reflexes.” They both began to laugh, and Blake smiled as she let her hand drop after they were doing shaking hands.

“She’s funny, I can see why you like her, Yang.” Taiyang said with a wink. “So, are you two together or…?”

Both girls began to blush before Yang answered. “We’re dating.”

“Well she has my approval after seeing her clear the ring in one jump. Sorry about Zwei; I didn’t know you’d react to him that way.” Before Blake could answer, his scroll began to ring. “Welp gotta take this. I’ll talk to you guys later. Yang make sure to clean up your mess. It was nice meeting you, Blake.”

“You as well.” She answered as he walked off towards his office, his scroll pressed to his ear. Blake turned to Yang who was staring at her. “What?”

“Why did you react like that? Is it because you’re a cat Faunus?”

Blake sighed while crossing her arms. “I always assumed that, but my mom isn’t scared of dogs and she’s a cat Faunus too. I’ve tried to be around other dogs, but they can sense I don’t like them much, so I usually keep my distance.”

“So, you’re just special.” Yang teased while she reached into the ring for a towel that was laying nearby.

“Sure,” Blake said, rolling her eyes. She watched as Yang began to wipe the sweat off her face and arms before she threw the towel back where she had got it from. “What are you going to do now?”

“I’m definitely going to shower first. And after I was just going to hang out…you’re more than welcome to chill with me, if you want.”

“That sounds great.” Blake said with a smile. She wrinkled her nose. “You might want to hurry with that shower, though.”

Yang laughed loudly at that before walking over to where Blake was standing and put one of her arms around her. “Do I smell that badly?”

“Do you really want me to answer?” Blake smirked. She felt the weight of Yang’s arm on her shoulder and it just felt…right. She didn’t even feel the need to move away from her; if anything, she wanted her closer.

“Fine, fine, I’ll go take a quick shower and once I’m done we can figure out what we’re gonna do. How does that sound?”

“It sounds good to me.”

“Be right back!” Yang said cheerfully as she removed her arm from around Blake’s shoulders.

Blake watched as she left, presumably going to where they had the locker rooms at. Making her way back over to the bleachers, she picked up the book that she had placed down on the seat and resumed reading. Well, at least she tried to. Her thoughts kept going back to what Yang had said to her dad; they were dating. She hadn’t even thought about it at the time, but it would appear that they were. It felt sort of weird to say…but in a good way. Yang was definitely a breath of fresh air in her world that was beginning to feel stuffy and stagnant. She put her bookmark in its place and put her novel in her bag; there was no way she’d be able to concentrate. So instead, she pulled out her scroll and browsed her social media page. For almost four years, she had her account deactivated; Adam would get so upset whenever she would be on it that he had actually gone and deactivated it himself. After she had left, she had made a brand-new account and went and blocked him and everyone associated with him. Every fan page dedicated to him was blocked as well as people who might have had him as their profile picture. She just wanted him completely gone. Only a hand full of people had her added as a friend and she planned to keep it that way. What she hadn’t expected was to see that she had two new friend requests; one from Ruby and the other from Yang. She gave a small smile as she accepted both of their requests. As soon as she went back to the home screen, she immediately saw posts from both girls. Ruby had posted a picture of the both of them from earlier in the morning; both girls were wearing the clothes that they had been sparring in. The caption she put was “Ready to get my butt kicked :D” and Blake couldn’t help but laugh aloud. She could hear approaching footsteps, but she didn’t recognize the walk; when she looked up she saw Taiyang standing near her.

“What are you laughing at?” he asked curiously.

“The picture Ruby posted. Well, mainly the caption.” She showed the picture to Taiyang so he could see it and he let out a laugh as well.

“Those girls are something else.” He commented. “May I sit next to you?”

“Of course.” She answered while instinctively moving over a bit.

Taiyang sat down next to her, leaving a respectable distance between the two of them. He let out a long sigh and she continued to look through her scroll. “So, Blake, Yang’s mentioned you a few times, but she hasn’t said anything about what you do.”

“I’m a bartender.” Blake answered. “I work with some of my friends at the bar they own.”

“Nice, nice.” He commented while leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “How did you two meet?”

“There at Sea Monkeys. I’m friends with Weiss so she introduced us.”

“Oh, so you know Weiss?”

“Yes, we’ve been friends since middle school. We both went to Vale Prep School together.” Blake answered while setting her scroll down.

“Weiss is a great girl, I’m happy that her and Ruby ended up together. They both seem to complement each other, despite being completely opposite.” He chuckled.

“They do seem really cute together.” Blake smiled. “I haven’t seen Weiss this happy in a long time.”

“So, what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you like my daughter?”

Blake looked over at him, her eyes clashing with blue. “I like what I know about her. She seems like a lovely person.”

“She is; Yang seems a lot happier now that she knows you, despite only knowing you for a few months.”

She looked away at his words. “Sometimes you can be happier with someone you’ve only known for a few months than with someone you’ve known for years.”

Taiyang gave a humorless chuckle. “Yeah, I can definitely agree with that. You seem like a good person though. And since Yang likes you I’m sure I’ll see you around more often now. I just wanted to come and chat with you for a little bit before I open up the gym.” He stood up from his spot and looked down at her. “I’ll be sure to invite you over the next time we have our annual family dinner.”

Blake wasn’t sure what to say. “Thank you, Taiyang.”

“Call me Tai.” He answered with a wink. “I’ll see you around Blake.”

She said nothing as he walked back to wherever he had been before. She wasn’t sure on how to react to the whole interaction she had with him, but she figured it didn’t go terribly. She pulled out her scroll again and was shocked to see that it was almost noon. Blake was supposed to be at her parent’s house by one o’clock and she still had to go to her house to pack an overnight bag just in case she decided to stay. Looks like she wasn’t going to be able to hang out with Yang after all. How disappointing…

Almost as if on que, she got a text from her mom asking if she was still coming over at one. She replied saying yes but that she was more than likely going to be late. Her mother simply told her to be careful and that she’d see her later. Placing her scroll back in her bag, her ears began to twitch as she heard the familiar sound of Yang’s footsteps. When she looked up, her breath caught in her throat; how did Yang wearing a plain pair of black workout pants and a plain white t-shirt look so good? Her hair was still wet from her shower and she had a towel draped over her shoulders. When Yang saw her sitting there, she gave her a smile and Blake smiled back at her.

“Hey there, sweetheart. So, what did you want to do?”

“I…actually won’t be able to do anything after all.” Blake’s ears fell at the sight of Yang’s disappointed look. “I didn’t realize the time and I’m visiting my parents today; I told them I would be there around one.”

“That’s fine. We can always do something another time.”

“Actually,” Blake started, suddenly remembering the conversation her, Sun, and Neptune had had that morning. “Sun’s birthday is this Wednesday and he wants to go out. I’m not entirely sure where we are going yet but he wanted me to invite you, Ruby, and Weiss to go with us.”

Yang’s smile came back. “That sounds like it could be fun. I’m definitely in.”

“He’ll definitely be happy to hear that.” Blake said with a smile. “I’ll go ahead and text Weiss and let her know.”

“I’ll let Ruby know since she’s here.” Yang gave her another smile that Blake just had to return. “So, you’re going to leave now?”

“Yes, I still have to go to my apartment and pick up some clothes just in case I stay.”

“You don’t work tonight?”

“No, not tonight.”

“Aren’t you showing the fight tonight?”

“Yes, but I had gotten the night off months ago.” Blake answered, trying not to let her frustration show. It wasn’t Yang’s fault, after all.

“Oh, well, I guess I won’t be surprising you tonight after all.” Yang said while giving her a crooked smile.

“I’m sorry.” Blake answered. “You should still go by anyways; I’m sure Sun will enjoy it; that way you can tell him in person that you’re going to his birthday celebration.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.” Yang smiled. “Let me walk you out.”

They walked the short distance in silence, neither girl knowing what to say. Once they reached the doors Blake stopped. “You don’t have to walk me outside.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Yang, I’m sure.” Blake answered with a smile. “I’ll…text you later?”

The blonde smiled. “I’ll be looking forward to it.” Taking a step forward, Yang gently wrapped her arms around the smaller girl in a hug. Blake tensed at first but then slowly felt her body relax as she returned the hug. It almost felt as if she were meant to be here in Yang’s arms. When she pulled away, Yang had one of her hands still on Blake’s waist. “I’ll talk to you later, kitten. Drive safe, okay?”

“I will.” She looked up at her and smiled before stepping out of her embrace. “Bye, Yang.”

She turned away after that and walked out of the glass doors, walking towards her car. Once she was in and had the car started and her seat belt on, she looked one last time to see that Yang was still at the door, watching her. The blonde waved at her and she waved back before driving away. The last thing she saw was Yang’s bright smile; Blake knew her own smile was going to be plastered to her face for a long time to come.

As she made her way to Sea Monkeys though, her smile began to fade as she began to think about how she had to tell her father about how she was seeing Yang. The more she thought about it, the more nervous she became. Blake had a feeling that this probably wouldn’t turn out well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG YOU GUYS! Episode one was so good! No spoilers though! But damn is it almost next Saturday?
> 
> I'm sorry for the late update! And I will also apologize if it seems like the chapter ended kind of suddenly. I was going to continue it but decided to cut off the last part of it so I could use it at the beginning of chapter ten. I can't believe we're almost to the double digits!
> 
> Just a heads up, I might not post chapter ten this coming week. I'll be picking up an extra shift at work and I also have a busy weekend ahead of me so I will more than likely not have enough time to write. I'll keep everyone updated on my twitter account =) @VioletSkye413
> 
> Thank you again for your kudos and reviews! You guys are seriously the best <3


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning! Mentions of past abuse and it may seem graphic to some readers. It starts with the word "Her" that has been made bold and ends with "abuse?" that is also in bold.

Things definitely weren’t turning out well.

As soon as she sat down at the table where her father was sitting, he knew she had something to say. Blake’s leg had been bouncing a mile a minute as she tried to find the words to explain to her father on how she and Yang were dating. Wow, her and Yang were dating.

“Blake, if you have something to say, you can speak freely to me. You know that.” Ghira said as he put his paperwork down.

“Yes, I know that. I just…I’m trying to find a way to say it to you.”

“Just start at the beginning and we’ll work our way through.”

Blake swallowed as she looked over at her mother who had been sitting there sipping her tea and looking everywhere other than Blake. She knew she was on her own on this, and she inhaled deeply, getting ready to tell her father her news.

“Dad, I’m…”

“Yes?”

“I’m…dating someone.”

“Oh?” he removed his reading glasses and set them down on top of his work. “Who?”

She cleared her throat as she looked into his honey colored eyes. “Um, I’m dating Yang Xiao Long.”

Ghira Belladonna didn’t say anything. Blake couldn’t read his face, but she could see his demeanor slowly change as the words she said began to sink in. “You’re what?”

“I’m going out with Yang. We’ve…already been on a date and we’ve hung out a few times.” Blake said honestly.

“And when were you planning on telling me and your mother?”

“Well um…” Blake looked over at Kali who had set down her tea and was looking at her husband. “I actually told mom already…I told her on Wednesday when me and Yang had our date.”

“So, you’re just telling me this now?”

“Yes…”

He didn’t say anything for a few minutes, the silence ticking on like the clock on the wall. Blake’s leg hadn’t stopped shaking the entire time that she had been speaking. Even now, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but she knew it wasn’t good. He inhaled deeply before finally speaking again.

“Blake, I don’t think you’re ready to be with someone else just yet. Let alone someone who is also an MMA fighter.”

“We’re just dating dad.” Blake answered, even though saying it like that didn’t feel right to her. “I also don’t think her being in the UFC circle is of any relevance.”

“Do you seriously believe that?” Ghira asked. “Look what happened the last time with him. Do you not remember what it was like? All the abuse and –”

“Of course, I remember what he was like!” Blake snapped. “I was the one who was there! It was me who got hit after every loss, after every knockout; sometimes for no reason at all. You don’t have to remind me of all that violence with Adam because I lived it for almost six years!”

“Blake, I’m not saying any of this to upset you. I’m just concerned.”

“You don’t know anything about her!” Blake shot up from her seat, making the dining room table screech as it moved across the floor. “She’s not Adam!”

“How can you be so sure? Do you know everything about her?”

“I know enough to decide that she’s a good person.”

“You said the same thing about Adam!” her father argued back, standing up from his own chair. “When we first met him –”

“I was only a teenager! I didn’t know the difference between love and control! And may I remind you that you’re the one who introduced us in the first place!”

Ghira stayed silent after that. He sank back down into his seat and leaned back and exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. When he opened his eyes, Blake could literally see the guilt and regret reflected in his eyes. Blake had only seen her father look his age a few times in her life; one of those times had been while she was in the emergency room after her mother managed to convince her to go. The other time was now. She slowly sank back down into her seat.

“I’ll always carry the burden of knowing that I’m the one who brought that monster into your life. I’m just trying to make sure you’re safe. I don’t think that what I’m doing is unreasonable.”

“What’s unreasonable is how you’re being so quick to judge Yang. You haven’t even met her yet.”

“Then maybe we should.” Kali finally spoke. Blake and Ghira both turned to look at her, both of them having forgotten that she was even there. “You should invite her over on Sunday when we have breakfast.”

“I don’t…” Blake began. “I don’t know if I should.” She turned to Ghira; her eyes locked with his. “Now that I know you don’t even like her, I don’t think I should bring her around. At least, not right now.”

She stood up again from the table and walked away, both of her parents calling after her. She didn’t answer, instead Blake walked outside into the back yard where she went and sat down on the porch swing.

That wasn’t how she had pictured this conversation going. Sure, she had expected it to be bad, but not that bad. Blake closed her eyes and leaned back against the wooden swing. The sun was still out and hot, but she honestly didn’t care. She just wanted to forget that the conversation had even happened. She just wanted to go back to her time at the gym and spending time with Yang and Ruby. The words her father had said had brought back too many negative emotions and memories that it had Blake wanting to curl up into a ball. She knew he meant well, she knew he wanted nothing but the best for her. But how could he just automatically assume Yang was a horrible person because of her career choice? Not everyone in the industry was like that. Just because Adam had been didn’t mean that Yang would be also.

For two hours, Blake sat outside on the porch swing. Every so often she would hear her mother come to the door just to check on her, but not once did she come outside. Kali knew that Blake needed the time alone, so she let her be. It was four in the afternoon by the time Blake stood up from her spot and stretched; her back was starting to hurt from sitting down on the uncomfortable seat, and she was definitely ready to go inside into the cold.

As soon as she entered the house, she smelled the familiar aroma of her favorite Menagerian dish; it also happened to be her father’s favorite. It would seem as if her mom was going to try and win them both over with food. As soon as she walked into the kitchen, she saw her mother cutting up all the vegetables they would need. Ahi poke bowls were her favorite because it was mainly raw tuna over a bowl of brown rice with whatever vegetables you wanted. Her mouth immediately began to water at the thought of the fresh tuna.

“Hey honey, can you come finish cutting up the avocado? I need to make the rice.”

“Sure,” she answered while going over to the sink and washing her hands. Her mother had everything set up so all she had to do was slice the avocado and lay it on a plate. She had just finished slicing her third avocado when she remembered the joke Yang had told her on their date. “Hey mom, what’s an avocados favorite game?”

“I don’t know?” her mother asked confused.

“Whack-amole.” Blake said with a smile.

Kali looked at her daughter for a moment before she began to laugh. “Oh, my goodness, where did you hear that one from?”

“From Yang. She said that joke to me since the food she ordered had avocado on it.” Blake said with a smile, remembering just how beautiful Yang looked as she was laughing.

“Where did she take you?”

“To Garibaldi’s. It was so nice mom; she had the whole patio reserved for us so no one would be outside while we ate. Afterwards we went walking along the pier and she told me about how she became a boxer. It was a wonderful evening.”

“It sounds like it was a great date.” Kali commented.

“It really was. We’re supposed to go on a double date with Weiss and Ruby. She even invited me to her next match.” Looking over at her mother, she noticed the shocked look on her face. “I know what you’re going to say; yes, I’ll be fine.”

“I believe you kitten. I’m still going to be worried about you. After everything…well, I don’t need to remind you. But if you really say that she’s a good person, then I believe you.”

Blake sighed; she had finished slicing up the avocado and went to wash her hands. “I know that it’s hard for you to believe me. I know you won’t say it, because the past speaks for itself…but I really like her, and I want to get to know her better.”

Kali didn’t say anything after that. She continued making the rice while also making the final preparations for their dinner. Leaving the kitchen, Blake went to her bedroom that she had there at the house. She had already put all her belongings away in their proper place. She sat down on the bed and looked around the mostly empty room. **Her** mind wondered back to the days after she was released from the hospital. The visit hadn’t been pleasant; she had a fractured cheekbone and a split lip and eyebrow; not to mention the bruises that were covering her body. Running her hands along her left brow, she could still feel the scar that would always be a permanent reminder of that night. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out the images of how she looked when she had finally seen herself in the mirror. There had been so much blood…she had tried to clean it as best as she could before she finally called Sun. He had raced over to hers and Adam’s apartment and as soon as she had opened the door and saw his face, she knew that this was the end.

The ride back to Sea Monkeys had been almost quiet; Blake couldn’t stop crying and apologizing. The whole ride Sun sat in the backseat with her while Neptune drove them back; both of their faces set in a hard line. She remembers them telling her later that they had both been so blind and stupid; how could they not see the warning signs? They were all there now that it was out in the open; the way he used to always isolate her, how whenever they would make plans to do something he would always say he needed Blake around for some reason or another. Blake always wearing long sleeves and pants even in the summer, her overall demeanor slowly changing as the years passed. Blake had never been overly social, but she could at least carry on a conversation and laugh easily; make jokes. Now that they had been thinking about it they couldn’t even remember the last time she had laughed let alone smiled.

Blake rubbed at her eyes, trying in vain to make the memories stop but it was like a freight train; the memories just kept coming. Every night she would sit and wait for him to come home, waiting in fear for what he might do to her that night. Some nights he just came home, ate dinner, and then went to shower. He wouldn’t speak to her or even acknowledge her. Other days he’d make little comments: “Why did you make this for dinner?” “The apartment looks like shit; why didn’t you clean? It’s not as if you did anything all day.” “What are you doing wearing that? You look like a slut in those shorts.” Those days were more bearable then the days where he’d come home angry; on those days, there was no way to escape the beating. He’d enter the apartment in silence, take one look at her and make his way over to where she was sitting. Adam didn’t care where he hit her or how he did it, so long as he could get out whatever frustration he had out and onto her. How did he manage to have such anger left over from his constant training? It was one of the questions Blake often had asked herself after she would stumble to the bathroom to clean up whatever blood might have been spilt. He always made an effort to not hit her on her face. As she would stand in their bathroom in only her bra and underwear, Blake would survey the damage and cry; how had she let it get this bad? Was she not doing a good enough job at keeping him happy? How could she make him happy so he wouldn’t do this?

It would take her a few months after leaving to realize that none of what happened to her was her fault. That it was solely on Adam. She stood up from her bed and walked over to the nearby mirror and began to stare at her reflection; you couldn’t really see the scars on her body unless you were really looking. Lifting up her tank top, she could see the small little marks that were scattered across her skin. Scars and cuts that had long healed that would forever be there as a reminder of what she had endured for nearly six years. Letting her top fall back against her skin, she looked into her own eyes and tried to search for answers; would she ever really be okay again? Would someone ever be able to see her as more than a victim of **abuse?** Her thoughts traveled to Yang…should she even tell her? Well, that was a dumb question. Of course, she should. Yang had a right to know about at least some of what she had been through, and who had been the reason behind it. But when should she tell her? They were barely starting to date; hell, they had only been on one date. Maybe she would wait until they were a little more serious; but when exactly would that be? She had never had such conflicting emotions for someone before. She really liked Yang; liked her more than she had ever liked anyone. When logic was telling her to be cautious since they had only known each other for a few months but that recklessness in her that had long since been buried was starting to resurface; starting to say that it was okay to do what she was doing. It scared the hell out of her knowing that she was feeling this way. But Blake knew, damn it she knew that Yang wasn’t like Adam. She knew that Yang would never hit her in violence, would never yell at her or degrade her just because she felt like it. Blake wasn’t entirely sure how she knew this, but she did.

“Blake, dinner is ready.” She heard her mother call from the kitchen.

“Coming.” She replied. Staring at her reflection once more, she made her way out of her bedroom and to the kitchen where Kali had set up their dinner on the smaller table rather than on the formal dining table.

Ghira was already sitting down at his usual spot at the table. Blake sat down next to him but didn’t say anything. They both sat in silence as they waited for Kali to join them; once she had sat down, they all bowed their heads as Ghira said some words over their meal before picking up their chopsticks and eating. As soon as the tuna hit Blake’s tongue, her bad mood immediately lifted; this was one of the few meals that could bring her such happiness. She ate with a renewed vigor and ate a few more pieces of tuna before eating some avocado and cucumber. Most of the meal was in silence, it was only broken once when Ghira let Kali know that it was delicious, as always. She watched her mother’s face grow red; it made her so happy to know that her parents were still very much in love after being together for years.

Once they all finished eating, Blake stood from the table and began to grab everyone’s dishes. Ever since she was a child, after dinner Blake would gather all the dishes that needed to be cleaned and would set them up for her father to wash. While he was washing, she would rinse and dry the dishes before putting them away. Today would be no different, even after their disagreement. Ghira and Blake often had little disagreements more often that she and Kali did. Her mom always said it was because they were so much alike that they often bumped heads; Blake had to agree with her, even though sometimes she didn’t like to.

While Blake got everything together, she could hear her father tapping his fingers against the kitchen table. Her mother had left to her bedroom where she was more than likely doing her evening meditation. Blake knew it was a matter of time before Ghira spoke what was on his mind. By the time she had finished getting all the dirty dishes together and had filled up the sink, Ghira stood up and went to stand next to her. He began to wash their cups and utensils and once the opposite side of the sink was partially full, Blake began to rinse them.

Clearing his throat, Ghira began to speak. “Blake, I want to apologize. I didn’t mean to upset you the way I did.”

“I know.”

“You are right though; I don’t know anything about Yang. All I know is what I’ve read about her in articles.” He sighed again. “I’m not saying any of this to upset you, but she’s been seen with other girls before; none of them are the same and it appears to be that she’s dated them all.”

“You and I both know we shouldn’t always believe what we read.” Blake answered. “Besides, Yang’s already told me that she hasn’t dated anyone seriously in a while. She even admitted to me that her last relationship was for publicity by her managing company.”

Ghira nodded his head and began to wash another cup. “You believe her?”

“Yes.”

They worked in silence a moment longer. “Do you also know that she was once suspended for beating up another fighter?”

Blake’s eyebrows creased. “No, I did not know that. But that wasn’t exactly something that would be brought up on a first date. I didn’t bring up my past with Adam.”

“Fair point.” Ghira answered while handing her a plate that he had just finished washing. “Maybe that’s something that she’ll bring up another time.”

“Wait,” Blake said suddenly, the plate in her hand still under the stream of water. “Did you go and look her up while I was outside?” Ghira cleared his throat but didn’t answer. Blake glared at him. “Dad, you said you wouldn’t do that anymore. It didn’t exactly work the first time.”

“I’m aware of that.” Ghira answered as he reached to grab another dirty plate. “I was hoping that this time it would help.”

“You’re using your power for evil.” Blake said bitterly as she placed the clean plate in the dish drainer to be dried later.

Ghira chuckled. “Maybe you’re right. But if I can at least double check on this girl then I will do what I need to.”

Blake didn’t say anything as she waited for him to place a few more clean dishes in the sink. She shouldn’t have been surprised at all that he would do this. When Blake had first announced that her and Adam were dating, he went and did the exact same thing, but had found nothing really that stood out. Thinking now, that seemed to her to be a red flag. What exactly had happened that had caused Yang to purposely hurt another fighter? Surely there was an explanation, but she wasn’t sure if there was a right way to bring it up to Yang without her finding out she had snooped.

“You didn’t find anything else out, did you?” Blake asked curiously.

“Nothing that seemed like it would be an issue.”

Blake nodded. “Dad, I’m sorry too for how I reacted. I’m just…tired of everyone only seeing me as a victim. I want to at least try and move past all of the issues I had because of Adam. I don’t want to be scared of what might happen with who I’m with next. I know it hasn’t been that long since everything happened, but I’m ready.”

Ghira sighed and stopped what he was doing so he could turn to look at Blake. She, too, was looking at him. “And you’re right. It’s just going to take some time for me. Knowing what he did to you and how he did it right under my nose…I don’t want that to happen again. I’ll trust your judgement on this Blake, but I really would like to meet her so I can see how she is in person.”

Blake felt as if she would cry. “Maybe not this Sunday, but our next breakfast get together? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind meeting the both of you, even if it might seem a little too soon. I did after all meet her dad and uncle already.”

“Well…” Ghira gave pause before continuing. “It would be at least a few months before our next Sunday breakfast. Your mother and I need to return to Menagerie this coming week. I’ve been away for far too long and things are starting to get a little hectic.”

“You’re leaving?” Blake asked, shocked.

“Yes; we were planning on telling you after dinner.” Grabbing one of the bigger pots, Ghira began to wash it. “We both would like for you to join us, if you want.”

Blake looked down at the sink, contemplating her answer. On the one hand, she really missed Menagerie. It had been years since she had stepped foot on her home island. Thinking back, the last time was right after graduation. She had gone with Adam…

Now wasn’t the time, she thought to herself. Things were going really well at Sea Monkeys and even though she knew Sun and Neptune would understand if she went home for a while, they would be understaffed for however amount of time Blake was gone.

“I’d really like to go, but I think it’s best if I stayed here. Everything at the bar is going really well and I don’t want to jeopardize anything by leaving so suddenly. But maybe next time?”

“Of course.” Ghira answered while placing the now washed pot in the sink. The dishes were officially done, and he pulled out the plug to let out the dirty water. He turned to look at her. “Now, I know you’ve already turned it down twice, so feel free to do it again, but if you really want us to get to know Yang, please reconsider inviting her for Sunday. You don’t have to answer right away, but just let us know by tomorrow.”

Blake nodded her head instead of answering. Ghira leaned down and gave her a peck on the forehead before leaving the kitchen to presumably head to his office. She finished rinsing off the last pot and went to grab a clean dish towel so she could begin to dry off the wet dishes. Should she invite Yang over? Was it all too soon? It probably was but there was no telling just how long her parents would be gone this time. The last time they went back home they were gone for two years.

She methodically dried everything and put it in their proper place and once she was done she began to wipe down the counters and the table. There really was no harm in asking Yang if she wanted to come over; the worst thing she could say was no and Blake would respect her decision. This wouldn’t be that big of a deal…oh who was she kidding? Of course, it would be a big deal. At least it definitely would be for her. All this overthinking was going to drive her crazy.

Making up her mind, she made her way back to her bedroom and picked up her scroll that was laying on the bed. She unlocked the screen and went to her text messages between her and Yang. She hadn’t talked to her since she left the gym and she wondered what exactly she was doing at the moment. She began to form a message before hitting send.

**Me:** _Hey, Yang. How was your afternoon?_

Yang’s reply was instant, almost as if she had been waiting this whole time for Blake to text her.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Hey there Blake! My afternoon was okay. It honestly would have been better if you were with me :)_

Blake let out a small laugh before she leaned back against her pillows.

**Me:** _That’s very nice to know. I would have enjoyed myself a lot more as well if I were with you._

That seemed a little too forward, right? She hovered over the send button and before she could hit it, she got another message from Yang.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _I’m gonna be heading out to Sea Monkeys soon. Are you sure there’s no way I can convince you to come?_

Well, so much for that. She sighed but hit send anyways before composing another message.

**Me:** _Yes I’m sure. My parents will be leaving to Menagerie soon so I want to spend some time with them._

It wasn’t exactly a lie, Blake reasoned as she hit send. This definitely gave her the opening she needed to invite Yang over for breakfast.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Oh grapes, ok. Well I hope you have a good time with them :)_

Blake laughed out loud at her response.

**Me:** _Grapes? Cute._

**Me:** _I actually wanted to ask you something, but it’s totally okay if you say no._

Blake held her breath as she hit send. It was nearly five minutes later when she got a reply.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _What’s up chicken butt?_

**Me:** _I just want you to know that I literally just rolled my eyes at your response._

**Me:** _I wanted to know if you’d maybe like to have breakfast with me and my parents at their house on Sunday? It’s totally okay if you don’t want to though. I know it might seem too soon…_

Blake waited yet again for a reply. This time it took a long fourteen minutes before Yang replied. During that time, she had picked up her book and tried to read but she couldn’t focus on the words. She kept checking her scroll every few seconds even though her notification sound was on. Her leg wouldn’t stop bouncing on the floor even though she was trying really hard to make it stop. Should she have not asked? Was it too soon and now Yang was trying to figure out a polite way to decline her invitation? Or maybe she was just going to ignore her completely. Maybe –

_DING!_

Her screen read “One New Message: Yang Xiao Long” and Blake quickly opened it.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Sorry I was driving. I just got to Sea Monkeys and it is paaaacked!_

** Yang Xiao Long: ** _I would love to have breakfast with your parents! Do you think it’s too soon? In all fairness you did already meet my dad and uncle. Oh and Ruby._

Now that Yang mentioned it…it would seem as if maybe she had overreacted just a little bit. She began to write out her response.

**Me:** _Good point. I didn’t want it to seem like it was too fast; you meeting my parents. And I technically met your uncle by coincidence and you had said that your dad might be at the gym, so that was accidental. But if you’re alright with it, then I’d love to have you over._

After hitting send, Blake let out a breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding. This was really going to happen; Yang was really going to come over and meet her parents.

Holy fuck, Yang was going to meet her parents.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Lol you make a good point at well. But I’m totally fine with it so yes I’ll go :) what time would be good?_

**Me:** _How does nine thirty sound? What would you like to eat?_

**Yang Xiao Long:** _I’ll be there! And I’m cool with whatever you guys eat._

**Me:** _You don’t have a preference?_

**Yang Xiao Long:** _My only preference is you ;) but I really love pancakes._

**Me:** _Again, I’m visibly rolling my eyes…but also blushing, if I must admit. But we can make pancakes for you._

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Lol nice to know I have that effect on you. Will you be cooking? Do you know how to cook?_

Blake laughed aloud.

**Me:** _Yes I know how to cook. I actually really enjoy it. My favorite foods to make are from Menagerie._

Yang didn’t reply for a while, but this time Blake was content to just relax in bed and let the minutes tick by. The hard part was finally out of the way and now she could begin to let the stress of asking fade away. She didn’t stay in bed for too much longer though, when she heard what sounded like her mother in the kitchen. The smell of tea being made caused her to get up from her bed and make her way towards the kitchen where Kali was pouring three cups of tea.

“Just in time.” Her mother commented as Blake went and sat down in her usual spot at the table.

“Thanks, mom.” Blake smiled at her mother while grabbing her own cup. She added a teaspoon of honey to her own cup and took a drink and let out a sigh of contentment. “Where’s dad?”

“He should be along shortly.” Kali answered as she set the kettle back on the stove before turning to the table and fixing her tea to her liking. “I hear you two have settled your disagreement?”

“Yes, we have. I have a feeling that this will be brought up again in the future, but this time I’ll handle it much better.” She took another sip. “I do want to talk to you both though.”

“Oh?”

“I’ll wait until dad gets here.”

“No need to wait.” Ghira spoke, announcing his arrival. He sat down in front of his own cup and took a drink. “What did you need to speak to us about?”

“I was texting Yang and she agreed to come and eat breakfast with us on Sunday.” Blake said while looking from her mom and then her dad. “I asked her what she wanted, and she requested pancakes.”

“Pancakes are doable. I think we might need some things though. I’ll make you a list and you can pick everything up tomorrow or Sunday morning? What time did you tell her?” Kali asked, already forming a mental grocery list.

“I told her nine thirty; that should be good right?”

“Yes, that’s fine. Oh, I’m so excited!” Kali gushed as she took another sip of her tea. Ghira just made a noise but Kali made him be quiet with a look. “Be nice or I’ll send you to your room.”

Blake couldn’t help but laugh at her mother’s choice of words, but it got her dad to stop making noises under his breath. They all sat in comfortable silence and Blake let her mind wonder to how things would be with Yang here. She could picture her clearly sitting in front of her and laughing at something her mother said and even cracking a dad joke with Ghira and both of them going back and forth trying to tell the worst joke. And the puns; oh, the puns. She knew for a fact that Yang wouldn’t be able to resist any cat puns. Blake was more than sure Yang would get along well with her parents, they just all had to get around the awkwardness.

After finishing her tea, she quickly went and washed and dried it before putting it back in its proper place. Blake let out a yawn and decided that she would just go ahead and turn in early; after all, she didn’t get much sleep since she had to be up early to go to the gym. She bid her parents goodnight and retreated to her bedroom where she quickly changed into a pair of black shorts and her Yang t-shirt. After putting her hair into a low ponytail, she went to lay down in bed and as she was moving her scroll, she saw that she had a few text messages. Three were from Yang and one was from Sun.

Opening the message from Sun, she saw a picture of both him and Yang and they were both holding up their fists and winking. He had put at the bottom that he was so happy to know that she was going to be joining them for his birthday. Blake laughed but didn’t reply to him; instead, she went to Yang’s messages and read them quickly before sighing.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _I’ve never had Menagerian food before. I think the first time was on our date. But now that I know you can cook you can always make me something :)_

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Sorry for the late reply. Everyone keeps asking for my picture and I feel rude for saying no._

**Yang Xiao Long:** _There are soooo many Adam Taurus fans here. If I would have known I would have worn his shirt instead._

So…she was a fan of Adam’s…

**Me:** _I suppose I could make you something. No need to apologize though; I figured people would want to take a picture with you. Evidence is with your photo with Sun._

Blake didn’t bother to reply to Yang’s message about Adam. Instead, she sent another text about breakfast.

**Me:** _So we’ll have pancakes and probably bacon and fruit. How does that sound?_

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Sounds perfect! I’m looking forward to Sunday Blake :)_

She smiled despite her displeasure of knowing that Yang actually owned a shirt that had Adam on it. She really hoped that Yang never wore it in front of her. But, she couldn’t really say anything if she wasn’t honest with her.

**Me:** _So am I. But I’m actually about to head to sleep. I didn’t get much sleep since someone wanted me to go and watch them practice._

**Yang Xiao Long:** _You weren’t complaining with the view while you were there ;) lol but alright kitten, I’ll text you later?_

**Me:** _Again, rolling my eyes (and blushing). Text me when you get home?_

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Sure thing, Blake. Goodnight, kitten. Sweet dreams <3_

Seconds later, Blake got a picture message from Yang. In it, she was smiling softly at the camera with the familiar background of Sea Monkeys behind her. She must have just taken it. Deciding to take one of herself, she opened up the camera app and quickly snapped a picture of her laying in bed. When she looked to see if she at least looked decent, she was surprised to see the natural smile that she had on her face as well as the small blush that was still on her face. In the picture, you could barely make out the top of Yang’s head, but she was certain that the blonde would be able to figure out which shirt she was wearing.

Attaching the picture to a message, she put this caption:

**Me:** _Goodnight, Yang <3_

Before she could chicken out, she hit send and then dropped her scroll while covering her face. Maybe she shouldn’t have put the heart. That should be alright, right? Yang used the hearts all the time so it must not be bad, right? Oh, dear gods maybe she shouldn’t have –

Her scroll vibrating caused her to stop her mental rambling. When she read the message from Yang, she felt her face grow red, but she couldn’t stop the smile that formed on her face.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Holy moly. You are so damn beautiful. I’ve definitely found my new lock screen. How am I supposed to pay attention to the fights when you sent me this?_

**Me:** _I’m sure you’ll manage. Thank you…I think you’re beautiful too. Goodnight, Yang._

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Doubt it. But thank you :) oh and nice shirt btw ;) goodnight Blake <3_

Setting her scroll down, she shut off the bedside lamp and rolled over onto her side, pulling the blankets up under her chin. Her face was beginning to hurt from how much she was smiling but she couldn’t help it. She felt giddy and light; she wanted to scream with joy and squeal in excitement. Instead of doing any of those things, Blake cleared her mind and relaxed her body and not long after, she fell asleep dreaming of various colors of lilac and yellow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I was really hoping to have this out by tonight and I'm happy it worked! This weekend was super busy but so fun and I'm hoping that now things will get back to normal with my posting.
> 
> Was the way I did the trigger warning okay? Let me know so if it wasn't enough I can try and make it better!
> 
> How did everyone like episode two of RWBY? I know I loved it! Remember, no spoilers!
> 
> We are officially in the double digits! Thank you so much for your continued support! You guys are the bees knees! <3
> 
> Twitter: @VioletSkye413


	11. Chapter Eleven

When Blake woke up that Saturday morning, the first thing she did was panic. After having such a great dream, it quickly turned dark as a nightmare overtook her once sunny space and filled it with dark grey storm clouds. She couldn’t remember exactly what it was about, but the feeling it left her with could only mean that she had dreamed of Adam. After rolling out of bed, she had gotten dressed and went to make herself a cup of tea to calm her nerves. Her parents were still sleeping but considering it was only five thirty in the morning definitely had something to do with that. Kali would be awake soon and not long after her father would come groggily walking into the kitchen; neither her nor her father were morning people.

Once she was done with her tea, Blake immediately began to clean; she had to get out all that leftover energy that she had from her nightmare and she knew this would help. Her mother had stared at her curiously but once she noticed the look in her eyes, Kali came to understand Blake’s current mood. She didn’t say anything; all she did was lay a comforting hand on Blake’s arm before walking into the kitchen to make tea for herself and coffee for Ghira.

The rest of the morning was spent with Blake cleaning every surface of the house and only after she was finished, did she sit down on the couch, exhausted. Blake hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but the sound of her scroll ringing is what caused her to twitch awake from her spot on the couch; she was laying down and someone had placed a blanket on her to keep her warm.

_“Let it goooo~ Let it gooo~ and I’ll rise like the break of –”_

“Hello?” Blake answered groggily.

_“Are you seriously still asleep right now? It’s two in the afternoon.”_

“Is it?” she asked. Moving the scroll in front of her face she saw that it was a little after two. “I woke up super early this morning and started cleaning. I hadn’t even realized I fell asleep until you called me. What’s up?” hearing Weiss’ sigh on the other line had Blake getting comfortable; this might be a long conversation.

_“We had a brunch meeting with some potential clients at some ridiculously expensive restaurant that didn’t even give you half a serving of food and I swear the whole entire time was spent with the woman who was there flirting with my father and the man trying his hardest to get me to go on a date with him. We were sitting there for nearly an hour before any sort of business was discussed and once we came to an agreement we stayed for another hour and a half. I literally just left the restaurant and now I’m pissed off and I want a burger.”_

Blake let out a laugh. “Well go get a burger then. What did your father say about the guy hitting on you?”

_“He insists that I go out with him. I told him I wasn’t interested but of course everything I said went in one ear and out of the other. He says it’ll be “good for business” which is bull shit. Ugh I honestly can’t with him.”_

“Only a few more years and then he’ll step down and you’ll be in charge and you can tell him to go fuck himself.” Blake answered while sitting up and rubbing her eyes. “Hopefully whenever that happens he won’t have such a stick up his ass.”

_“I highly doubt that, but it’s a nice thought.” _Weiss said with a sigh. _“Anyways, what are you doing?”_

“I’m just waking up.”

_“Oh yes, you were cleaning. Why were you cleaning again?”_

“Well I um…” Blake cleared her throat a few times before continuing. “I invited Yang over for breakfast tomorrow so she can meet mom and dad before they return to Menagerie.” There was silence for a moment before Weiss began speaking quickly.

_“Wait a minute, you invited _Yang _to go meet mom and dad?! And they’re returning to Menagerie?! When did all of this happen?!”_

Blake sighed heavily before telling Weiss about her going to see Yang practice and how when she met Tai, he asked if the both of them were dating and Yang had said yes. That had earned another line of questioning that Blake answered as briefly as possible. Yes, they were dating. Yes, Blake was fine with it. Continuing on with her story, Blake let her know about the argument her and Ghira had gotten into and how when they were resolving everything, Ghira had let her know they were returning soon.

_“I still can’t believe they’re leaving already. How long do you think they’ll be gone this time?”_

“I don’t know. Last time they were gone for two years so maybe the same amount of time, if not more.” Her ear twitched as a thought began to form in her head. “Hey, why don’t you come over for breakfast tomorrow as well?”

_“Really?”_

“Well, yeah. I know it’s been a while since you last saw them and we aren’t sure when they’ll be back so you should be here. You can even invite Ruby. I mentioned that you were seeing someone, and mom had expressed on how she wanted to meet your new girlfriend.”

_“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea; I’ll be sure to let Ruby know. What time for tomorrow?”_

“Nine thirty is what I told Yang, but you can always come over earlier if you want.”

_“I’ll be there early. Ruby and Yang can ride together.” _There was some shuffling around on the other line. _“I just got to my apartment, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”_

Blake said a quick goodbye before hanging up. Leaning back against the sofa, she let out a long breath before she stood up from the couch. She could hear her mother in the kitchen, so she figured Kali was getting dinner ready. Walking into the kitchen, she saw Kali cutting up vegetables and the older Faunus was humming to herself. Her feline ears twitched as she heard Blake’s approach and when she turned to look at her, she was smiling.

“Well good morning my sleepy kitten. How was your nap?”

“It was good, thank you.” Blake responded while going to stand next to her mother. “I just wanted to let you know that I invited Weiss to come over. She said she’d bring Ruby so you could meet her. I hope you guys don’t mind.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful! And you know that we don’t mind at all!” Kali gushed as she set the knife down and went over to give Blake a hug. “I’m so excited to see Weiss again. And I’m excited to meet Ruby! I’m sure it’ll be great!”

“I’m sure it will be.” Blake said with a smile as Kali went back to cooking. “Did you need help with anything?”

“Nope, you go and relax. You deserve it after cleaning all day.”

Not having to be told twice, Blake first went to the living room to grab her scroll before retreating to her bedroom where she sat on her bed and picked up the book she was reading. It was the sequel to the book she had been reading when she got her car fixed, and she was eager to find out what was going to happen. This novel was a lot steamier than the first one. Leaning back against her headboard, she was about to get pulled into the story when she felt her scroll vibrate. Her ear twitched as it vibrated again, and she sighed as she placed her bookmark back into its place. As she picked up her scroll, it vibrated yet again and when she looked down she saw she had four messages from Yang.

The first message was sent at one twenty-six AM.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Hey sweetheart, I’m home safe and sound. I can’t wait to see you on Sunday :) goodnight Blake <3_

The other texts were all sent at various parts of the day. The most recent being sent only seconds before.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _I’m so boooored! I hope your day was at least good._

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Sooo what should I wear to breakfast? Like do I have to dress up? Is that a weird thing to ask?_

**Yang Xiao Long:** _I really hope this isn’t weird but I saw something and I thought of you so I got it for you!_

She got her something? She felt her face grow red and she smiled widely at the thought. Blake quickly wrote a reply and sent it.

**Me:** _Sorry I didn’t reply sooner, but I’m glad you made it home okay. My day went well. I spent most of it cleaning and now I want to sleep for twelve hours. Why were you so bored anyways?_

**Me:** _Just wear whatever you’re comfortable with. Just…no UFC shirts if that’s alright. But no it’s not a weird question._

**Me:** _You got me a gift? You really didn’t have to, Yang._

Seconds went by and her phone dinged as she got a new text message.

**Yang Xiao Long:** _No sweat about not replying. I’m bored because I’m doing boring stuff. Contracts, getting ready to do some more promo work. BORING STUFF!_

**Yang Xiao Long:** _Well I did and I hope you like it because I got it especially for you :)_

**Yang Xiao Long:** _No UFC shirts, got it. Any particular reason? Just curious. Twelve hours huh? Lol why did you clean so much?_

That did sound really boring, Blake thought to herself as she began to type out her responses.

**Me:** _I’m sure I’ll like it simply because you got it for me. So thank you._

**Me:** _That does sound kind of boring. My condolences to your lost happiness._

Before Blake replied to the next message, she gave a small pause. Keep it honest but don’t say too much; it definitely wasn’t topic to talk about over a text message.

**Me:** _I’ll explain here about the UFC shirt. It’s a lot to talk about over a text. Sorry to be so evasive. Yes twelve hours; a girl needs her sleep. I cleaned so much since you’re coming over, but so are Weiss and Ruby._

**Me:** _I hope that’s okay that I invited them both over to join us. Since my parents are leaving Weiss wants to see them and I know they had wanted to meet Ruby when I told them about Weiss dating again._

There, that wasn’t so bad. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the hard part of the conversation that she was going to have to have with Yang. Blake knew she didn’t have to give away too many details about her past, just enough to give Yang an understanding of where she was coming from. If they continued with their relationship – and she really hoped they did – then she’d tell her the whole story. That didn’t seem to unreasonable to her.

There was no response right away from Yang, so Blake figured she was doing boring promo work. Getting up from her bed, she grabbed her book before caring it outside to the front porch swing. She had literally just opened the novel when her phone began to ring. Rolling her eyes, she set the book down, but her frown quickly changed into a smile as she saw who was calling her.

“Hello?”

_“Heya Blake!” _came Yang’s cheerful response. _“What are you up to?”_

“I was just about to read.”

_“Oh crap, I’m sorry.”_

“It’s fine.” Blake said with a smile. “I don’t mind. Are you still doing boring business stuff?”

_“Unfortunately. I’m taking a break right now; doing the final promotional photoshoot before the weigh in next week.”_

“It’s nice to know you want to talk to me on your break.”

_“Well yeah!” _Yang laughed. _“But I did want to ask why you had invited Ruby and Weiss? Not that I’m complaining or anything; I like spending time with both of them.”_

“I’m under the assumption that you didn’t read my texts.” Blake said while laughing. “Weiss wants to see my parents before they leave and when I had told my mom about Weiss and Ruby dating both of my parents had said they wanted to meet her as well.”

_“Huh, I did not read that. Honestly I saw that you text me but instead of reading all of what you sent I decided to call. But I think it’s awesome! I’m really looking forward to meeting your parents. I also want to see the way you and Weiss interact with each other.”_

“Makes sense. I’m looking forward to you meeting them as well. And for them to meet Ruby. As for me and Weiss, I’m assuming we act like siblings, but I’m going off this knowledge second hand.”

_“You don’t have any siblings?”_

“No, I’m an only child.”

_“Not gonna lie, Blake, that sounds boring.”_

Blake laughed. “It’s not so bad. When I was younger I had always wanted a sibling. It wasn’t until I saw the way Weiss is with her siblings that I decided being an only child wasn’t too bad.”

_“It’s good to know that you’re alright with it. Sometimes Ruby drives me crazy but to imagine life without her is weird.” _There was yelling in the background and Yang let out a curse. _“Hey, I got to go; they found me.”_

“Found you?” Blake asked curiously. “I thought you were on break?”

_“Well, uh, I was kind of on break but that ended like ten minutes ago. I was hiding in one of the empty rooms, but it would seem as if Qrow figured out where I was.” _More yelling was heard. _“Anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow sweetheart. Bye for now!”_

Blake laughed again. “Bye, Yang.”

After setting her scroll down, Blake leaned back into the seat and let out a content sigh. With a simple call, things seemed to just feel more relaxed. Maybe tomorrow wouldn’t be such a big deal once her father saw just how great Yang actually was. There was more to Yang Xiao Long than her career choice.

Picking up her scroll again, she went to Yang’s contact information and erased her last name and left it as just “Yang.” It was Blake’s way of showing that she was comfortable enough with her to not be so formal. Weird, but that’s just how she was.

Tomorrow couldn’t come sooner, she thought to herself with a smile.

~*~*~*~

Tomorrow definitely came way too soon.

Blake had set her alarm clock for six thirty so she could get up and go to the store and get last minute things. She should have figured things would be bad when her alarm didn’t go off and she woke up at seven thirty instead. Rushing to get ready, she almost forgot her purse as she was already getting into her car and she had to return to the house, only to realize she had left her keys in the car and she had to go back and get them before once again making her way to the front door. After retrieving her purse, she went back to her car and drove off to the closest grocery store.

Her shopping list was short; flour for the pancakes (they had everything else), another carton of eggs just in case someone wanted eggs, bananas and strawberries for a side or to put on top of the pancakes, another bottle of syrup, bacon, and milk and orange juice. Grabbing a basket, Blake made her way down all the different isles picking and putting all the items she needed inside.

Once Blake was done, she made her way to the nearest checkout lane when she saw the gossip magazines. Right there on the corner was none other than Yang Xiao Long. She shouldn’t be too surprised to see her on the cover; if she wasn’t an MMA fighter, Yang could easily be a model. The proof was right there in the photo. Her long blonde hair was down and styled just right; she was wearing a tight white muscle shirt and even tighter light blue jeans with rips going all the way up her legs. Yang was looking at the camera and was winking. The caption next to her photo was saying to look inside and see who Yang was dating now.

It shouldn’t matter, Blake thought while picking up the magazine. But as they say, curiosity killed the cat.

She turned to the page where the story was at and let her eyes roam the pictures. She laughed loudly when she spotted a photo of Yang and Weiss. The blonde had her arm wrapped around Weiss’ shoulders while Weiss had her arms crossed over her chest. Yang was smiling widely while Weiss had her usual scowl on, but Blake could see the smile in her eyes. She didn’t recognize any of the other girls in the pictures, so she flipped it closed and place it back where she picked it up from.

Finally getting back in line, she began to place all her items on the conveyor belt. She had just finished putting a gallon of milk next to a carton of eggs when she happened to glance at the television. That’s when she saw him; Adam. It had to be from the title match from yesterday; it would seem as if he had retained it. The poor rookie didn’t stand a chance. She tried to pull her eyes away, but it was as if his very image still had a hold of her. She watched his right fist go flying into the man’s face and flinched when it made contact, knocking the man unconscious. Blake knew all too well on how much that fist hurt; she received that same right hook on a different night a little over a year ago. That should have been the night she left. But it wasn’t…that night wouldn’t come until months later.

“Excuse me, miss, will that be all?”

Blake snapped her head quickly to the cashier; she was an older woman who was looking at her with such concern in her eyes. Blake was able to manage a nod before reaching into her wallet to pull out her card. She quickly swiped it and began going through all the prompts as fast as she could. Once she was finished paying, she grabbed her receipt, all her bags, and rushed out of the store.

Reaching her car, Blake all but threw the groceries into the backseat, nearly forgetting to set the eggs down gently. Slamming the backdoor, she quickly got into the driver’s seat and placed her hands on the steering wheel. She was breathing heavily; she couldn’t catch her breath. She hadn’t seen Adam since the night she left a year ago. She had thought she would be okay seeing him, but just seeing him on the TV had caused her to go into a full-blown panic attack. She reached for her scroll and called the first person that popped into her head. Three rings later, Sun answered.

_“Hey Blake! How’s everything going at your parents’ house?”_ he sounded like he might have been asleep.

“Sun?” she managed to choke out. “I-I can’t, I c-can’t…”

_“It’s going to be alright. Take a deep breath in through your nose…count to five. Now, exhale through your mouth.”_

Blake did as she was instructed. She listened to Sun repeat the process four more times before she was finally able to breath normally again. Her next exhale came out shaky and she swallowed over the lump in her throat that didn’t seem to want to disappear.

_“Feeling better?”_ Sun asked.

“A little.” She answered quietly. She knew Sun was waiting for her to either explain to him what had happened or to simply disconnect the call. She had thought about hanging up, but after such a bad panic attack, she needed to get it off of her chest. “I saw Adam.”

_“What?! Where?!”_

“Well, not in person; but on the television. I was buying everything I needed for breakfast and they were showing highlights from the match last night.” She exhaled again slowly while looking at her surroundings. Thankfully, no one had witnessed her break down. “I just freaked out there in line. Thankfully I was able to buy everything and then leave.” She heard Sun exhale on the other line before speaking.

_“I’m sorry you had to go through that alone. Are you still going back to your parents’ house? You can always come over if you need to.”_

“No, I’m still going to go back.” She hesitated and bit her lip. “Should I tell them what happened? They know I have panic attacks, but I don’t think they know about how bad they can be.”

_“Only you can decide on that one Blakey. Just whatever you choose, know that I support you one hundred percent.”_

“Thanks so much, Sun. You’ve literally been a life saver.” Saying those words out loud had Blake crying all over again. Sun began to calm her down and once again asked if she wanted to come back home. “No, I’ll seriously be okay. Besides, I invited Yang to come over and meet my parents. They’re turning to Menagerie in the next few days.”

_“Wow that’s a big step.” _Sun commented. _“How long are they going to be gone?”_

“I’m not sure, but you should try and come by later so you and Neptune can say bye to them. I’ll probably leave here around seven so as long as you come before then that should be fine.” Blake inhaled deeply, the lump in her throat almost gone now. “I know it’s a big step, however…” Blake once again explained what had happened from her time at the gym all the way up to the conversation with Ghira where they talked everything out after their fight.

Sun whistled. _“So, you and Yang are officially dating now? That is so bad ass!”_

“Seriously, that’s all you’re taking from that?” Blake rolled her eyes but smiled.

_“Of course not, but I know it got you to smile. I can see where your folks are coming from, but Blake just make sure you’re really okay with it.”_

“Whatever, you dork. But I am okay with it.” Blake looked at the clock and saw that it was eight thirty. “I have to go; everyone is coming at nine thirty and we still need to get everything ready. Don’t forget to try and come by later; I know my mom will enjoy seeing you.”

_“So will your dad; you know he loves me!” _Sun laughed. _“Have fun Blake, I’ll talk to you later. Don’t hesitate to call again if you need me.”_

Blake laughed and agreed to call if she needed too, but she knew she’d be okay after talking to him. They both hung up and Blake reached for her keys and started her car. She arrived at her parents’ house not too long after, but instead of getting out right away, she leaned her head back against the headrest and let out a long breath she hadn’t been aware she’d been holding. Her last major panic attack hadn’t happened since months after she had left Adam, and since that last one they had been infrequent and not as bad. She wasn’t sure on how she could have forgotten how exhausting they really were.

Grabbing her purse, she exited her car and went to retrieve the groceries that she had carelessly thrown into the backseat. After checking to make sure that the eggs weren’t broken – and feeling relieved to see that all of them were whole – she grabbed everything and headed inside.

As soon as she entered, she heard the familiar voice of Weiss. Smiling, she began to make her way to the kitchen, but she stopped when she heard her father’s voice.

“How is she really doing, Weiss? I’m so concerned for her.”

They must not have heard her come in.

“She’s doing fine, Ghira. Far better than she had been before. Honestly, working at Sea Monkeys has helped her more than you realize.” A pause. “Have you not asked her yourself?”

“Of course, I have. We both have. It’s just…you know how she can be. I don’t want it to be like how it was before.” Ghira sighed. “I know I’m coming off as a horrible father, but seeing how she had been before…”

“You don’t have anything to worry about.” Weiss answered sternly. “Blake has been so much more open, especially recently. Honestly dad, you and mom have nothing to worry about.” Ghira grunted and Weiss huffed. “What are you worried about?”

“This girl she’s talking to; Yang Xiao Long. She mentioned that you know her.”

“Yes, I’ve known her since high school.”

Ghira stayed silent as did Weiss. Blake let out a soft breath as she waited for them to continue.

“Why have you never brought her up before?”

Weiss stayed quiet. “I don’t know.” She sighed. “It was never because I didn’t want to; I just never did. It was like some invisible line that I wasn’t sure I wanted to cross. It sounds bad saying it out loud, but that’s just the way I can describe it.”

“Hmm…I don’t think it’s bad, per say. I’m just confused because of how close you and Blake are; I was sure that you’d have mentioned her to Blake at least once.”

“I have.” Weiss answered with a sigh. “It was just when…well when things had been getting bad with that asshole. It was around the time when she started covering up more; when she was beginning to cut everyone out.”

They both stayed quiet as they no doubt thought about that time; it made Blake think about it. Things had begun to escalate…more physical violence than mental. The first few times he had apologized, then it went to where he blamed her for all of the hitting. Finally, it was just because; there weren’t any more reasons.

“Do you think Yang is different from him?”

“Yes.” Weiss said with no hesitation. “If I thought for a moment that she was anything like him, I would have never let them meet, let alone talked to her myself. But Yang is a really good person. And to tell you the truth, I think they both deserve someone good in their lives. So, why not let them be that someone to each other?”

Ghira didn’t answer; Blake figured there wasn’t anything for him to say. Walking backwards as quietly as she could, Blake opened the door again and let out an overexaggerated sigh, making it seem as if she had just gotten there.

“I’m home.” Blake announced as she headed towards the kitchen with all of the groceries. When she entered, she saw that her dad and Weiss weren’t looking at each other and Weiss’ cheeks were tinted pink. “Hey Weiss, you’re early.”

“You asked me to come by early.” The white-haired girl said. Moving towards Blake, she helped by grabbing a few bags and took them to the counter.

“Don’t hurt yourself, princess.” Blake teased as she set the rest of the groceries down next to the others. Weiss made a face at her and she laughed. “When did you get here?”

“About ten minutes ago. Mom said you were out shopping.”

“Where is she?”

“Doing her morning meditation before everyone gets here.” Ghira answered. He took a sip from his coffee. “Not a bad idea; I think I might join her.”

Once Ghira left the room, both girls began to put the groceries away. Checking the time, Blake realized she had a few minutes to spare before she had to begin cooking breakfast. She wanted to tell Weiss about the panic attack she had at the grocery store before Ruby and Yang arrived. Weiss was currently leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee in one hand and her scroll in the other; she was alternating between the two and for the most part, her eyes never left the screen. Sensing eyes on her, Weiss looked up at Blake.

“Is everything okay?”

“Not really…” as Blake began to go into detail about her most recent panic attack, she watched Weiss’ face to see if her expression would change, but she kept the same neutral expression she always had. The only emotion that showed was in her eyes. Blake ended her story with how she had called Sun and how he had managed to talk her down during her attack.

“And you’re sure you’re fine now?” Weiss asked while setting her mug down and placing her scroll into her back pocket. “If you need to, you can always cancel breakfast and just rest. I know panic attacks can be tiring.”

“I’m fine for now. There’s no need to cancel breakfast; I’ll just have to take a nap later once everyone leaves. I need to fix my schedule since I go back to work on Monday.”

Weiss nodded her head and walked over to Blake’s side and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry you had to go through that alone. But you’re here now and everything is okay.”

Blake hugged her back and felt her eyes water; it was always rare for Weiss to show affection and whenever she did, Blake took advantage of the comfort. Both girls pulled away at the same time and smiled at each other. Checking the time, Blake announced it was time to start breakfast and time for Weiss to just sit down and enjoy her coffee. Weiss scoffed but did as she was instructed and jumped up onto the counter, grabbing her mug and taking a sip of her coffee. The white-haired girl was a terrible cook and was forbidden to use the stove in the Belladonna household.

By the time Kali and Ghira were finished with their meditation, Blake already had all of the fruit cut up and was just finished preparing the pancake batter. They all stood in the kitchen and listened as Weiss began to talk about her experience from the previous day; Blake and Ghira laughed while Kali went and laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. Weiss was smiling even though she had expressed her annoyance at the two other Faunus.

As nine thirty crept closer, Blake began to feel all the nerves she had been ignoring; it was easy to forget that two more people were coming. It wasn’t until Weiss was setting the table in the dining room and not the small table in the kitchen that things began to feel a lot more real than what they had before. Flipping the pancake, she tried to calm her racing heart, but she knew there was no use; she was so excited yet nervous for Yang to be here.

Blake’s ears began to twitch and when she looked up, she saw that her mom’s ears were also twitching, causing the golden studs in her ear to move. Not even a minute later, the doorbell rang; Yang and Ruby had arrived.

“Go get the door; I’ll finish breakfast.” Kali said while gently pushing Blake out of the way.

Taking a deep breath, Blake headed towards the front door. She could hear Ruby talking to Yang about what it was they were going to be eating for breakfast and when she heard Yang laugh she felt her heart beat a little faster. Reaching the door, she unlocked it and opened it.

Even though she had seen Yang only two days before, she still felt her breath get caught in her throat at the sight of her. She was wearing an orange muscle shirt with a green plaid shirt and a pair of skinny jeans and a pair of all white Converse. If Blake was being honest, she had completely forgotten that Ruby was even standing next to her.

“Hiya Blake!” Ruby said cheerfully. Turning her attention to the brunette, she gave her a smile; Ruby looked comfortable in a plain red shirt and blue jeans with sneakers.

“Good morning, Ruby.” Turning her attention back to Yang, she gave her a softer, shy smile. “Good morning, Yang.”

“Good morning, sweetheart.” Yang said, returning the soft smile.

“Come in.” Blake said while moving out of the way to let her guests inside. Once the pair were inside, she closed the door and locked it. “I hope you both are hungry; we made a lot of food.”

“I’m always hungry, so I’m ready to eat!” Ruby exclaimed.

Blake laughed. “That’s good to know. Right this way.” As Blake lead them to the dining room, she reminded herself to breath as both girls were behind her, no doubt looking at all the different pictures that were on the wall.

Reaching the dining room, she saw that Weiss was already standing there with her hands clasped in front of her; once Ruby saw her, she automatically went to her side and pulled her into a hug while placing a kiss first on her cheek and then a smaller kiss on her lips. Weiss’ face grew red as she returned the hug. Taking a peek at Yang, she noticed the smile on her face at seeing her sister and best friend being affectionate.

“You can go ahead and make yourselves comfortable. I’m going to go check on breakfast.” Blake announced. She exited the dining room and walked into the kitchen where her mother was currently getting everything onto a tray to carry into the other room. “Everything ready?”

“Yes, your dad is in his office taking a quick call, so he’ll be out in a little bit. Help me carry everything and once we set it down, we can ask what everyone wants to drink.” Kali said while setting a bowl of cut up strawberries on the current tray she had.

Picking up the tray with the pancakes, Blake walked back into the dining room and saw Ruby and Weiss sitting down next to each other with Yang sitting across from Ruby. Weiss was telling them about her recent business brunch and when she got to the part about the guy hitting on her, Ruby laughed and said that at least the guy had good taste. Weiss blushed and tried to continue on with the story, but Yang was teasing her about how red her cheeks were. Blake set the pancakes down on the table and asked what everyone wanted to drink. After rattling off the options, Ruby asked for milk and Yang asked for orange juice; Weiss was still drinking her coffee.

“Did you need any help?” Yang asked, getting ready to stand.

“No, we’ve got it. Thank you though.” Blake smiled. She turned back to the kitchen and giggled as she heard Weiss asking Yang why her cheeks were so red. A mumbled shut up was heard right after.

“You have that look on your face.” Kali commented as she began pulling out the drinks the girls wanted; she already had two cups set on the counter.

“What look?”

“That look you get when you’re reading a really good book and it gets to the part where the protagonist confesses their love for each other.” Kali said with a smile.

Now, it was Blake’s turn to blush. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kali laughed but didn’t comment further as she began to pour Ruby’s and Yang’s drinks. The kettle was beginning to whistle, and Blake took that as her cue remove it from the stove. Grabbing their mugs from the shelf, she quickly set to work on making their tea; once she was done, she set down both of them and grabbed Ruby and Yang’s drinks and took them back to the table. They were still talking, but this time Yang was talking about her promo shoot from yesterday. She was giving details about how Qrow had found her hiding in the closet so she could talk to Blake.

“So, after a few times of him banging on the door, I finally decided to come out of the closet.” Yang said with a wink. Ruby and Weiss groaned but Blake laughed.

“That’s original.” She said while setting Yang’s orange juice down in front of her.

“You still laughed.” Yang turned and smiled at her.

“Yes, I did.” Blake agreed while setting down Ruby’s milk in front of her. “We’re almost ready to eat; just waiting for my dad.”

“No need to wait, I’m here.” Ghira announced while walking into the dining room.

Blake was already looking at Yang to see what her reaction to seeing her father would be. The first thing she noticed was Yang’s eyes going wide as she looked up at him. Her mouth fell open a little and Blake heard her say “no fucking way” under her breath. Looking curiously at Weiss, she noticed that Ruby also had that same look on her face.

Ghira cleared his throat and extended his hand towards Yang. “It’s nice to formally meet you, Miss. Xiao Long; I’m –”

“Ghira “The Beast” Belladonna!” Yang exclaimed while shooting up from her chair. She walked right up to him and grabbed his hand in a firm handshake. “Oh my gosh I’m a huge fan of yours! You were one of my biggest inspirations when I was younger and just starting!” Yang turned to look at Blake, her hand still shaking Ghira’s. “Blake, why didn’t you tell me that your dad is one of the best MMA fighters that has ever been?!”

“I…don’t know.” Blake answered slowly.

Clearing his throat again, Ghira released Yang’s hand. “Yes well, it’s nice to meet you.” Looking at Ruby who had the same look of excitement on her face, he sighed. “You must be Ruby, Weiss’ girlfriend.”

“Yes, sir, that’s me!” Ruby exclaimed while also getting up from her seat and going over to shake his hand. “It’s so awesome to meet you! You are like my favorite MMA fighter, ever! Well, aside from Yang.”

Ghira didn’t know what to say, and he honestly didn’t even have a chance to utter a word. Both girls began to ask him questions about his fighting techniques while Yang was also asking how much he could dead lift. Blake watched in amusement as Ghira’s cheeks turned a nice shade of pink as Ruby and Yang continued to ask their questions. Looking at Weiss, she saw that she was smiling at both girls. Weiss made eye contact with her and gave her a thumbs up while winking.

Excusing herself, she made her way to the kitchen where Kali was leaning against the counter and drinking her tea, a smug smile on her face.

“What’s with the smile?” she asked her mother.

“Your dad isn’t the only one who did a little research.” Kali answered. “I read that Yang was a fan of your dad’s, but I just didn’t tell him that. Serves him right for looking her up in the first place.”

Blake laughed and gave her mom a hug before grabbing her own tea. Both women walked the short distance to the dining room where Ghira was telling Yang about his old workout routine.

“Yang, Ruby, this is my mom, Kali Belladonna.” Blake said after Ghira had stopped talking.

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Kali said with a slight bow to her head. “I hope you all are hungry! Let’s go ahead and sit down to eat before the food gets cold.”

They all took their seats and began to pile up their plates with pancakes and bacon. They all were eating in comfortable silence, Ruby breaking it once to say that everything was delicious. The statement had been directed to Kali, but the older cat Faunus let her know that Blake had made everything herself. Ruby in turn gave Blake a big smile while thanking her and went back to devouring her food.

Conversation picked up a little after that. It was during a break in conversation that Yang cleared her throat.

“So, how did you and Weiss meet?” she asked Blake.

Both girls stopped eating and looked at each other before they both began laughing. Ruby and Yang both looked confused while Ghira and Kali both were chuckling to themselves.

“We met in our history class at Vale Prep School.” Weiss answered; Blake was still laughing quietly. “I was such a know it all then –”

“You still are.”

“—and so, I just had to answer every question the teacher would ask.” Weiss continued while shooting Blake a glare. “We were talking about the Faunus Rights Movement one day in class and every time I tried to answer a question, the annoying emo girl in the back of the class was quick to raise her hand and answer. After each lesson, our teacher would let us have a debate over what could have been done differently or if we felt like everything went the way it was meant to go. I was the first one at the podium and was surprised to see the weirdo bookworm making her way to the podium in front of me.”

“It was an intense debate.” Blake spoke, continuing the story. “It’s important to know that at this time, no one knew I was a Faunus. I used to wear a black bow to cover my cat ears.”

“How come?” Ruby asked.

“It was just easier.” Blake replied with a sad smile.

“Obviously I didn’t know this, so I kept going on about how the Faunus were nothing but barbarians and animals who should just be grateful that the Schnee Diamond Company would even hire them. Every time Blake tried to say something, I would interrupt by asking why she cared so much since she wasn’t a Faunus.”

“I finally got so upset that I ripped off my bow and yelled out that it mattered to me because those were my people.” Blake sighed. “I was so dramatic. After the shock faded, I ran out of the class and went to hide in the library.”

“You didn’t go after her?” Yang asked Weiss.

“No, I didn’t.” Weiss admitted. “I was so angry. First at Blake and then at myself. That anger quickly changed to embarrassment. I went home that night confused but determined. I did so much research that night, I hardly got any sleep because I was looking through all the paper files of past incidents. Blake had been right, and it left me feeling ashamed.”

“The next day, Weiss came to find me. By this point there was no use wearing my bow since word had gotten out that I was a Faunus. The last person I expected to see was Weiss Schnee, daughter to Jacques and Willow Schnee, standing in front of me.”

“No heiress?” Yang asked.

“Winter was still the heiress; she hadn’t joined the military yet.” Weiss answered before Blake continued.

“When I asked her what she wanted, all she did was apologize for what she said and for what her family’s company had put the Faunus through. She also promised to do whatever she could to make it right; after that she turned and walked off. I didn’t know how to react to what she had declared once it sunk in, I concluded that I didn’t believe her. How could she possibly make a difference? Twelve-year-old me didn’t know that when Weiss Schnee sets her mind to something, she did it.”

“So, you two weren’t fast friends?” Ruby asked with a mouth full of pancake.

“No, not at all. That wouldn’t come until a month later when we had to partner up for the very class we argued in.” Weiss continued the story. “I was so nervous to be partnered with her. The first few days were filled with uncomfortable silences, but as the week went by, we realized we actually had a lot in common.”

“Like what?” Yang and Ruby asked at the same time; the sisters were completely engrossed with the story.

“Well, we both like arguing.” Weiss said with a smirk.

“We’re both incredibly stubborn.” Blake shot back.

“And pigheaded.”

“Not to mention spoiled.”

“We also both like to have the last word.”

“That is all you, Ice Queen.”

“Wow, we really have our work cut out for us, huh Rubes?” Yang joked.

“We certainly do!” Ruby agreed while finishing her milk.

“Ha ha.” Weiss and Blake said at the same time, causing the sisters to laugh.

Kali cleared her throat. “You girls are also passionate about the things you believe in and you both have the most caring hearts.” Kali smiled while looking at first Blake and then Weiss. “You make this mama very proud.”

Blake smiled at her, her face feeling a little warmer than it had been before. When she looked over at Weiss she could see that her cheeks were red as well and that her eyes were a little misty looking. Ruby was giving Weiss a soft smile and she noticed briefly the brunette looking over at her sister, but before she could decipher the look, Ruby went back to eating her pancakes.

“That definitely wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was interesting to hear.” Yang spoke. “How was it when you finally met Kali and Ghira, Weiss?”

“Oh, pure nerves. Once the due date got closer for our assignment we were tired of spending all our time at the library.”

“No, you were tired of it.” Blake corrected. “I love being at the library.”

“Yeah, sure.” Weiss rolled her eyes playfully. “Blake suggested we work here, and I agreed. Call me dumb but I had forgotten completely that since she was a Faunus her parents would be Faunus as well. I didn’t realize that until we were already on our way here. I think we were all surprised when we recognized who each other was.”

“I was more than surprised to see a Schnee standing in our entry way.” Ghira said with a chuckle. “I remember Weiss being so nervous, but she still held her head high and managed an introduction and a handshake.”

“She was so adorable!” Kali spoke. “I think she might have been expecting to be treated differently since she was a human. She even stayed for dinner.”

“After that, we became inseparable.” Blake finished. “I think that summer Weiss spent most of her time here with us.”

“It was like that almost every summer and winter break unless you guys had to return to Menagerie, or I had to go to Atlas.” Weiss sighed. “Those summers were the worst.”

“What about you Yang, Ruby? How did you two meet Weiss?” Kali asked curiously.

This time, it was both Ruby’s and Yang’s turn to burst into laughter. Once they both settled down, they both began to tell the story about how Yang had been partnered with Weiss at the SDC internship program and how later Ruby accidentally knocked her down. Kali was laughing good heartedly while Ghira was covering his mouth, holding in his own laughter. Weiss was too busy trying to ignore everyone while having her arms crossed over her plain white button up shirt. Ruby had moved her chair closer to her and had her arm draped casually over the back of the seat while she continued with how she kept trying to make it up to her by bringing her sweets.

“How was I supposed to know she didn’t like cookies?” Ruby asked while laughing. “I was so sad when I saw her throw them in the trash; I would have eaten them if she didn’t want them!”

The banter continued as they all sat and enjoyed each-others company. Breakfast was long over but the conversation was going too smoothly that no one wanted to interrupt it. Blake looked around the table as Ruby began to explain the best way to make homemade chocolate chip cookies. Her eyes went to her father where he was sitting with his chin resting on his crossed fingers; Yang was talking to him about her latest match and how she was trying to improve on her left hook. He nodded his head and gave her a few pointers on how to favor her other arm instead of her dominant one. Blake couldn’t stop the smile on her face even if she wanted to. Everything was going better than she expected and that thought alone almost made her cry. Maybe things would turn out well after all.

“Well, these dishes won’t load themselves. As much as I’m enjoying the conversation, I have some errands to run and I know Ghira has some work that needs to get done as well. But you girls are more than welcome to stay for as long as you want.” Kali stood up then and began to gather plates and cups. Noticing Yang and Ruby both standing, she motioned for them to sit. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it. Blake, why don’t you give them a tour of the house?”

Blake nodded her head and stood up from her spot on the table. She motioned for Yang and Ruby to follow her. The tour was fairly quick on the first floor, since all there was to show was the living room, dining room, kitchen, and a half bathroom. They made their way upstairs where Blake showed them her bedroom, her parents, and showed them the door to her father’s office where he was currently in after having to take yet another call.

“That’s pretty much it.” Blake finished as they made their way back downstairs. “Well, aside from outside but we really don’t have to go outside.”

“I want to go outside.” Yang said with a smile.

“We’ll wait in here.” Weiss said while grabbing Ruby’s hand and dragging her towards the living room.

“Let’s go to the back.” Blake suggested while motioning Yang to follow her outside. Once they made it out there, Yang went to go sit on the porch swing while Blake stayed standing.

Yang let out a small laugh. “I still can’t believe your dad is the Beast and you didn’t tell me.” She leaned back against the porch swing and exhaled slowly before laughing again.

“It honestly didn’t seem relevant to bring it up.” Blake said, leaning back against the railing. She knew that this particular subject was going to get brought up, so she felt as if she needed to stand to tell Yang.

“Not relevant?” Yang laughed and shook her head, amused. “You do remember that I’m in the UFC, right? So, it’s a little relevant.”

Blake sighed. “I suppose you’re right.” They both stayed silent; Blake was avoiding eye contact and she could feel Yang’s eyes on her.

“That isn’t the reason you didn’t bring it up, is it?” Yang asked softly.

“No, it isn’t.” Turning around, Blake rested her elbows on the porch railing and let out a shaky sigh; it was now or never. “There’s a reason why I was snippy about knowing things about the UFC, on why I was able to help Ruby block your punch, and it’s not just because my dad was in it.” Blake paused as she inhaled deeply before letting it go slowly. “I didn’t go to work on Friday because of the match. Not because I had the night off. It was because of who was fighting that night.” Blake felt her ears go back as she readied herself to continue. “I didn’t…it…are you familiar with the White Fang?”

“Well, yeah. They’re one of the most popular talent agencies that works exclusively with the Faunus. Your dad was the face of their company his whole career. When he retired from the UFC he became the CEO and ran it.”

“Technically he was always the CEO. But that’s not what I’m getting at. I’m assuming you know who’s in charge now?”

“Yeah, Sienna Khan. But what does that –”

“You know who the face of the White Fang is now, right?”

“Yeah, it’s Adam Taurus.”

“That’s the reason why; he’s the reason. He’s…Adam is my ex-boyfriend.” Blake didn’t dare to turn around; she didn’t want to see the look on Yang’s face as the words that had been spoken sunk in.

“Oh.”

Blake let out a shaky laugh. “Yeah, oh.”

“When did you guys break up?”

“A year ago. Things didn’t end…well.” That’s putting it mildly, Blake thought sourly. More silence. It was short lived when she heard the creaking of the swing. Yang’s footsteps made their way over to where the cat Faunus was standing. She could feel the warmth of Yang’s body heat along her back. What she wasn’t expecting was a pair of warm hands being gently placed along her waist. Instead of flinching away, she stayed relaxed as Yang gently pressed against her back.

“I’m sorry…I can tell that this is hard for you to talk about.” Came her soft reply. “You don’t have to say anymore if you aren’t comfortable.”

“Thank you.” Blake whispered.

“Is that why you didn’t want me to wear anything UFC related?”

“Yes…I didn’t want you to wear anything that had him on it.” Blake answered honestly. “Anything else would have been fine.”

“I’ll get rid of all his shirts.” Yang stated. “If you want me to.”

“What I want right now is to not talk about it anymore, if you don’t mind.” Blake whispered again.

Yang didn’t reply this time. Instead, she placed her chin on top of Blake’s head right between her cat ears. The longer Yang held her; the more relaxed Blake became. She was so relieved now that she had told part of the truth. If things kept going the way they were, she would tell her the whole truth. It would be best not to worry about it at the moment, seeing as she never felt righter being in someone’s arms.

“Oh, I totally just remembered! I got you a gift!” Yang suddenly exclaimed. She pulled away from Blake but reached down and grabbed her hand. “Come on! It’s in Ruby’s car.”

“No bike today?” Blake asked while being dragged back inside her house. She was trying to focus on walking instead of the warmth of Yang’s hand holding hers.

“Nah, not today. Ruby didn’t want to yell directions at me as we made our way over here.” Reaching the living room, Yang held out her hand to Ruby who had looked up when she heard them enter. “Keys, please!”

“Bring some cheese!” Ruby responded while handing the keys over to Yang.

“Cheese?” Blake asked curiously. Weiss only shrugged her shoulders and continued to browse on her scroll.

“It’s just something we do.” Ruby answered with a smile before returning to her own scroll.

Blake was once again being dragged towards the front door. Once they reached it, Yang opened the door and pulled Blake outside, ordering her to stand right where she was and wait while she went by herself to Ruby’s small red car. She watched with amusement as Yang ran towards the trunk and opened it, pulling out something from within. She couldn’t see what it was since Yang had immediately hid it behind her back, so she waited patiently as the blonde made her way back up onto the porch.

“Close your eyes, sweetheart.” Yang asked with a smile.

Blake did as she was told and let her eyes shut. A few seconds later she heard Yang tell her to open them. When she did, the first thing she saw was a pair of threaded golden eyes staring back at her. Realization hit her a few seconds later. “Did you…buy me a stuffed cat?”

“I technically won it in a crane machine.” Yang said smugly.

Looking back down at the stuffed cat, she noticed it was black and had a yellow ribbon tied around its neck. Its little pink threaded nose was in the shape of a heart and it looked as if the cat was smiling. “I love it.” Blake spoke softly as she looked back up at Yang. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, kitten.” Yang said with a smile. “I actually put the yellow bow around it; I figured it would be a nice little reminder on who got it for you.”

“As if I could even forget.” Blake said with a laugh. She finally took it from Yang’s hands and held it to her chest. She smirked before looking up at her. “You do know those crane machines are a waste of money, right?”

“Nah it wasn’t that bad.” Yang answered while breaking eye contact.

“Right, how much exactly did you spend on this?” Blake asked while trying to look into her lavender orbs.

Yang cleared her throat. “Not much. Just a few lien, that’s all.”

Blake laughed again and rolled her eyes. “Fine, you don’t have to tell me. But I’m sure you spent more on this stuffed animal then you did on our date.”

“It was worth it, especially to see that reaction.”

Her smile only seemed to grow wider as she continued to look at the blonde woman in front of her. Without fully realizing it, she moved closer to her. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around Yang’s waist and hugged her. This was the first time she had willingly touched her and the sudden warmth that she felt spreading through her was enough for Blake to pull her closer. They held onto each other for what felt like hours but was only minutes. She honestly would have stayed holding her longer, if she didn’t hear approaching footsteps. Blake pulled away enough to have a respectable distance but the hand that wasn’t holding onto the stuffed animal was still touching Yang’s waist.

Weiss poked her head out a few seconds later. “Hey, Qrow’s looking for you. He called your scroll and called Ruby’s as well.”

“Damn okay.” Yang began to pout but gave Blake a smile. “I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be here.”

Yang went inside after that and Weiss stepped out. She went and stood next to her and looked down at the stuffed animal in her hands. “That’s cute.”

“I think so too.”

“What were you guys talking about?”

“I…told her about Adam. Not everything, but just that we had been together but that we broke up because things weren’t going well. I don’t want to tell her the whole truth yet.”

Weiss pulled her into a one-armed hug and kissed her temple. “I’m proud of you. It’s alright to take baby steps until you’re ready to tell her all of the truth. And honestly Blake, I know she won’t think any less of you. If anything, she’ll understand where it is you’re coming from. Yang’s a very understanding person.”

“I really hope you’re right Weiss, I’d hate for things to end before they ever even got started.” Blake sighed. “I really like her.”

“I know you do. And I know she does as well.” Weiss pulled her in tighter before letting go. “Everything will be fine, so don’t worry about it, alright?”

Blake only nodded her head. Not too long after, Ruby came outside and let them know that they had to leave. Yang had once again snuck out from her work and her uncle had called to chew her out. The blonde had a sheepish smile on her face, but all Blake did was roll her eyes. Kali had come back downstairs to tell them goodbye but informed them that Ghira still hadn’t gotten off the phone. Weiss had also decided to leave, so she gave Kali a hug before giving one to Blake, Yang, and lastly, Ruby, who also got a kiss on the cheek.

“It was nice meeting you both.” Kali said sincerely while first giving Ruby a hug and then Yang; both girls had shocked expressions on their faces once Kali pulled away. “I hope we get to see you both again when we come back from Menagerie.”

“Take care, Mrs. Belladonna.” Yang answered.

“Please, call me Kali. I have a feeling I’ll be hearing and seeing more of you.” She said with a wink.

“Mom!” Blake said blushing. Kali only laughed before leaving the four of them in the living room.

Minutes later, Weiss announced that her driver had arrived, so they all piled out of Blake’s parents’ house. The heiress had only made it down one step before Ruby pulled her back and placed a quick kiss to her lips, telling her goodbye once again. Weiss’ face was a nice red color as she made her way towards the sleek black town car. After she pulled away, Ruby turned to Blake and gave her a hug and told her bye before heading towards her car, leaving Blake and Yang alone.

“I had a great morning, Blake. Seriously the best pancakes I’ve ever had.” Yang said with a smile.

“I’m sure you’re just saying that.” Blake said with a small blush. Would she ever stop blushing at everything she said?

“I can assure you I’m not.” Yang moved a little closer to Blake. “I guess I’ll be seeing you on Wednesday for Sun’s party?”

“Yes, I’ll be there. Wherever there is; he still hasn’t told me where we’re going.”

“Actually, we’re going to a club downtown called Viper. I’ve been there a few times and it’s super cool and Faunus friendly. Sun was saying that he wanted a place that wouldn’t make you guys feel unwanted.”

“Oh, that sounds interesting.” Blake said crossly.

Yang laughed. “I take it you’re not fond of clubs.”

“Not really; they’re really loud and they hurt my ears.” Blake answered honestly. “But I’ll be alright. I’m really looking forward to going; it’s been so long since we all did something. But I’m sure I’ll get all the details from Sun later.”

“I’m sure you will.” A honk from Ruby had both of them turning towards the small red car. “Well, that’s my cue. I’ll for sure see you on Wednesday.”

“I’ll text you. Thanks again for the stuffed animal.” Blake smiled.

“You’re welcome, kitten.” Giving her a smile as well, Yang leaned in and gave Blake another hug; she pulled her in flush against her body and Blake could feel herself getting lost in the warm she was exerting. “I’ll talk to you later, Blake.” Yang pulled away a few inches before leaning down and giving her a soft kiss on the cheek.

Blake couldn’t move; all she felt was her face growing hot as she watched Yang give her a bright smile before turning away and walking down the stairs and to Ruby’s waiting car. Once the blonde was inside, Ruby drove off down the street and was soon gone from her sight. Even so, Blake stood there. Yang had really kissed her; she had really done that. She slowly brought her hand up to her cheek and felt along where Yang’s lips had just been; she could almost still feel the imprint.

Turning around, she walked back into the house on light feet; she felt like she was walking on a cloud. She shut the door behind her and let out a sigh of contentment. Today definitely went better than what she thought it would be. Honestly, now it felt as if she had worried for nothing. It would still be a while before Yang knew the truth about what had really happened with Adam, but Blake decided right then and there that it didn’t matter. She would still live every day to the fullest and when the time came for Yang to know the truth, she would tell her. But until then, she couldn’t let her past dictate her present and future.

Sighing again, she made her way towards her bedroom where she went and lay in bed staring at the stuffed cat that Yang had won for her. This could work; things between them could be perfect.

Opening her eyes slowly, she thought back to when she had first met Adam; her talking to Yang about him had also brought up earlier memories of when she had first met him. She remembers how he had made her feel; as if butterflies were going to burst through from her stomach.

If only she had known they were warning signs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THAT THIS CHAPTER TOOK A MONTH TO COME OUT!! Seriously I feel so bad! I got horrible writers block and it just felt like it didn't want to end. I was also going through some person stuff that made me feel like not writing but we're here now and I'm so happy that we are!
> 
> Little fact about this chapter; on the part where Blake is in the grocery store and when she calls Sun was originally part of the first chapter, but I later took it out because I figured it would be too soon to introduce that into the story. I'm happy I decided to do that instead of including it right off the bat.
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope this chapter answered some questions that you guys had. Feel free to ask me anything and also follow me on Twitter if you want =) @VioletSkye413


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole chapter is one huge trigger warning; it's also a bit of a flashback chapter mixed in with the day they had breakfast. I've made words in bold, so you know when it gets bad. The first one starts with "Adam" in bold and ends with the word "shut." The second one is with this "~*~*~*~" in bold and ends with another one being in bold.
> 
> If this chapter had a name it would be called "It's Funny How the Warning Signs Can Feel Like They're Butterflies"

This wasn’t the first time Blake had walked through the doors of the White Fang’s main office. Although, it was technically the first time she walked through the doors without her mother being with her. Blake had been coming here since she was a small child; she could vaguely remember watching her father training and could even remember him pulling her into the ring so she could learn the same moves he had been doing for years. Maybe today she’d step inside the ring again just to see if she remembered anything.

Pulling the skirt of her uniform, she quickly decided against it. Vale Academy’s uniform was a little too short for her liking, so she knew training was out of the question since she didn’t bring a change of clothes. Not as if she’d be here that long anyways. All she had to do was drop off a file her father had forgotten and maybe see if he wanted to have an early dinner with her since her mom was busy organizing one of the events for the White Fang.

Once she was cleared by security, she made her way towards the elevators and hit the button for the top floor and waited patiently for the metal box to ascend. Once it reached the top, she made her way towards her father’s office but was stopped by his secretary.

“Sorry, Blake, he literally just stepped out.” The fox Faunus said. “He should be on the training floor though if you want to meet him there.”

“Thanks, Kit.” Blake said to her with a polite smile. She quickly backtracked towards the elevator and hit the button for the training floor.

Five minutes later she was standing in the training room where multiple athletes who were signed with the Fang were training with their coaches. Towards the back, she could make out her father; he was kind of hard to miss. Her ears twitched constantly as she took in all the different sounds that were going on around her; the closer she got to her father she could hear his deep voice giving guidance to whoever was inside the ring.

“Keep your left arm raised.” He instructed. “You have good form; you just need to remember to keep that arm raised.”

“Hey, dad.” Blake spoke as soon as she was close enough. He quickly turned around to face her and gave her a huge smile.

“Ah, Blake! I’m happy you’re here.”

“I brought that file you forgot.” She responded while reaching around to grab her backpack. She pulled it out and handed it over to him. “I also wanted to know if you wanted to go on a father daughter date. Mom won’t be home until late.”

“Thanks, kitten. And sure, we can go once I’m done here.” He pulled her into a one-armed hug and moved her so she could face the boxing ring. “Let me introduce you to our newest fighter.” Her dad let out a quick whistle and the man inside stopped what he was doing. Ghira motioned him over and once he made his way closer, he spoke again. “Blake, this is Adam Taurus. Adam, this is my daughter, Blake.”

When Blake looked up into the ring, she immediately began to stare in awe. The man in front of her was lean but stood tall; his posture perfect and composed. He had shaggy looking dark auburn hair and black goat horns protruding out. And his eyes…they were a beautiful shade of blue; crystal clear like the ocean. He was staring at her with no expression on his face; it wasn’t until after Ghira motioned for him to exit the ring that he finally smiled. He had jumped out of the ring and the corner of his right lip turned up; Blake’s stomach began to flutter.

“Nice to meet you, Blake.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Adam.” She extended her hand and once his larger hand enveloped hers, the butterflies only seemed to increase. Blake’s face became red as she let her arm fall.

“You can go ahead and finish your workout. Once you’re done you can leave for the day.” Ghira said once the introduction was finished. He was going to continue on, but his secretary came rushing in, saying that the phone call he had been waiting for had finally come in.

Blake watched as he left with Kit, letting Blake know that he would meet her in the lobby. They stood in silence for a few minutes before she finally found the courage to look up at him. He was staring at her, a curious look in his eyes. His smile only seemed to grow and so did the fluttering.

“So, Blake, I take it you’re still in school?”

“Yes, I’m a sophomore at Vale Academy.” She answered shyly. “Are you in school?”

“I graduated early; I’ve always wanted to be a boxer. Especially here at White Fang. I’m happy that I’m finally able to do this.”

Blake smiled at him. “It’s always a good thing to achieve your goals. I’m hoping that once I graduate I’ll be able to achieve mine.”

“And what are your goals, Blake?”

“I want to be a journalist. I would love to work here with my father as well as my mother. That’s been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember.”

“Maybe one day you’ll succeed. You never know.”

Blake thanked him before looking down; there was just something in his stare that made her knees feel weak and jeez, it almost felt as if she had swallowed a whole bunch of butterflies before coming in here. Looking up again, she noticed the clock behind him and sighed.

“I’ve got to go. It was nice meeting you, Adam.”

“Likewise; I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

Adam didn’t say anything else after that. Blake watched as he jumped back into the ring and began to do his routine from the beginning. For a while, she just watched him as he alternated between his left and right hooks and bounced on the balls of his feet. She was completely mesmerized by him. Finally peeling her eyes away, she turned away and headed back towards the elevators. Once she was inside, she looked at him one last time to see that he was also staring at her. He gave her a smile and she smiled back; the butterflies were still fluttering steadily in her stomach and as the doors closed, she let out a breath of air. Blake was hoping that she’d see him again.

~*~*~*~

Blake let out an impatient growl; she was sitting on the steps of the library, waiting for Weiss to show up. The white-haired girl was usually never late, but today Weiss had choir practice so it would probably take her a little while longer to arrive. It would have been fine though if Blake had their shared assignment instead of Weiss; next time she was going to keep it instead.

Returning her attention to her current read, she absentmindedly began to bounce her leg, causing the skirt of her uniform to go up. She pulled it down and glared at it; she hated wearing this uniform more than anything. Blake looked up once again but still didn’t see her friend.

Her ear twitched as she heard laughter coming from her left. She turned her head slightly and saw three people walking in the general direction of where she was sitting. None of them were wearing the school uniform so she knew they weren’t students; why exactly were they on school grounds though? It didn’t matter, she concluded. Her attention once again returned to her book, choosing to ignore their approaching footsteps.

Or, at least that’s what she would have done if she wouldn’t have heard them walking right towards where she was sitting at. Her ears twitched as they got closer and, curiosity finally getting the better of her, Blake looked up. The three individuals that she had seen were actually Faunus; a monkey and...Blake wasn't sure what exactly the girl was. She appeared to be human, but Blake could sense otherwise. Looking towards the last individual, she felt her face grow warm; it was him. Adam Taurus.

The monkey Faunus was looking around almost as if he was keeping a lookout for any trouble. The other two were talking a lot quieter than what they had been before, but Blake could still hear them perfectly; it would seem as if they were looking for someone. She was seriously hoping that Adam wouldn’t notice her; she felt so shy being around him.

“Are you sure she said she’d be here?” the monkey Faunus asked.

“I’m sure.” The female answered.

“And you’re sure that isn’t her sitting on the steps?”

“Yes, Sun. I wish it was though…she’s cute too.”

Blake felt her face get red and she shifted ever so slightly, but it was enough to get Adam’s attention. There was instant recognition in his eyes and his lips slowly curved up into a smile. He said nothing as he lifted his chin towards her and began to make his way over.

“Hey, wait, Adam where are you going?” the girl asked as she began to follow him; the monkey Faunus – Sun – wasn’t far behind.

He didn’t answer her though. He walked right up to Blake and once he was close enough, she slowly looked up and made eye contact. His eyes…they were still just as beautiful as she remembered.

“Hey Blake, it’s nice to see you again.” Adam said once he was closer.

“It’s nice to see you too.” Blake said quietly.

“Wait you know her?” Sun asked curiously.

Adam ignored him. “Do you happen to know a girl named Coco Adel?” he asked her, the smile still on his face.

“Yes…she’s a junior here.” she replied.

“Is she here?”

“No, she left already.”

At hearing the news, the girl who had been talking about her let out a string of curses. The monkey Faunus tried to comfort her, but she pulled away. “That bitch! She made us come all the way out here for fucking nothing! I’m so fucking done with her.”

Blake could still feel Adam’s eyes on her and she tried hard to keep her eyes averted, but she was being drawn in. When she made eye contact with him again she felt her stomach begin to flutter; his gaze was so endearing.

“There’s no need to get that upset, Ilia. Besides, we can always make friends with the nice girl who was kind enough to let us know that Coco wasn’t here! And who apparently knows Adam already.” He gave her a kind smile. “I’m Sun Wukong.”

“Blake Belladonna.” She answered while extending her hand.

Sun reached out and shook her hand. “Are you related to Ghira Belladonna?”

“She’s his daughter.” Adam answered gruffly. He looked annoyed but Blake wasn’t sure why.

“Oh no way, that’s so cool!” Sun exclaimed. “So, you obviously go to school here; what grade are you in?”

“I’m a sophomore.”

“Awesome! I’m a sophomore too and Ilia’s a senior.” Sun looked towards Ilia and then Adam. “Did you maybe want to hang out with us? Or were you busy?”

“I’m actually waiting for my friend; we’re supposed to work on an assignment together.” Blake said apologetically.

“Hey no worries! Maybe we’ll run into each other again.”

“I’m sure we will.” Adam answered. “But we should get going since what we came here for isn’t going to happen.”

“Thanks for rubbing it in.” Ilia said bitterly.

“I’m sure that’s not how he meant it.” Sun tried to cheer up Ilia. “But Adam is right, we probably should leave before they make us leave.”

Sun said a quick goodbye while Ilia didn’t say anything at all, which was fine with Blake seeing as she didn’t seem all that friendly in the first place. She expected Adam to go with them, but instead he let them know he’d catch up to them. She was surprised to see that he was sticking around; when she looked at him he was standing with his hands in his pocket and that half smile on his face.

“I’m happy I ran into you, Blake.” He finally spoke.

“Really?”

“Yes, you seem like an interesting person. Definitely someone that I’d like to know a lot better.”

Blake blushed. “I find you interesting, too.”

“We should go out some time. We can grab something to eat and go to the movies. It would be a lot of fun.”

“You’re…asking me on a date?” she asked curiously.

“Yes, I am.”

Blake was stunned into silence. She had been on dates before and even had a girlfriend for a few months, but she had never had an older boy interested in her. She was about to answer when she heard the familiar walk of Weiss. Blake turned her attention to the area where Weiss was walking from and she smiled.

“Hey, Blake, sorry I’m late. Choir ran a little later than normal.” Weiss spoke as soon as she got close enough. “I hope you weren’t – oh, I didn’t know you had company.”

“It’s fine.” Blake answered with a smile. “Weiss, this is Adam Taurus; he just started over at White Fang. Adam, this is –”

“Weiss Schnee, newly appointed heir to Schnee Diamond Company.” Adam said flatly.

Weiss stood up straighter and extended her hand for him to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Adam.”

Adam didn’t extend his hand out to her, but instead he nodded his head. “Likewise. I should get going. I’ll talk to you later, Blake.”

“Bye, Adam…”

Both girls watched as he walked away towards where Sun and Ilia were standing and waiting for him. They weren’t close enough for Blake to hear but she saw Ilia laugh and Sun’s face changed from smiling to anger. He said something and both Ilia and Adam shrugged their shoulders and began to walk away. Sun stood there for a few seconds longer before taking one final look at where Blake and Weiss were at before he walked away to catch up with them.

“That was a rather unpleasant experience.” Weiss spoke after a few moments. “Was he like that before I walked up?”

“No; he actually had been asking me on a date before you came over here.”

“Really? What did you tell him?”

“I didn’t get a chance to answer.” Blake said while standing up and cleaning the back of her skirt. “You came over here before I could say anything.”

“Good. I don’t like him.” Weiss said while walking up the stairs of the library. “Plus, he seems like he’s too old for you.”

“He is eighteen. And you also know nothing about him.” Blake said defensively.

“I’m betting you don’t know anything about him either except that he’s working at the Fang and his name and age. So, don’t give me that. Now let’s go, we have a lot of work to do.” The white-haired girl said while reaching for the door and walking inside.

Blake looked over back in the general direction of where Adam had been at. It wasn’t uncommon for some Faunus to react to Weiss that way, but Blake could tell that there seemed to be more to it than that. And the fact that he asked her out on a date, he couldn’t be that bad. She didn’t have his number and he didn’t have hers, so she wasn’t sure on how exactly she was going to get a hold of him to let him know her answer. Maybe Blake would just have to go by the White Fang so she could tell him in person. Just thinking about giving her answer made the butterflies come back; she smiled to herself and followed Weiss into the library.

~*~*~*~

Blake hadn’t seen Adam in two weeks, and it wasn’t from lack of trying. She had gone to the gym there at the White Fang headquarters, but she hadn’t seen him. She figured that he practiced elsewhere and that’s why he wasn’t there. After the second week, she stopped going in and decided to focus more on her studies. Even though she was only a sophomore, she was already looking at college classes; juniors and seniors were allowed to take college courses that would count as credit once they went to college.

She was currently at the public library working on a paper for her literature class. It wasn’t due for another week but she wanted to finish it so she wouldn’t have to worry about it. Her and Weiss had plans to do something fun for the weekend, so she wanted to make sure that no schoolwork got in the way of that.

She was turning the page to one of the books open in front of her when she felt eyes on her. When Blake looked up, she recognized the boy from a few weeks ago; Sun Wukong. He had been staring at her and once they made eye contact his look of confusion quickly turned to that of recognition. He waved at her enthusiastically and she waved back at him. As Sun made his way over to her table, Blake quietly closed the book that was in front of her. Normally she would have just ignored him, but he seemed nice.

“Hey, you’re Blake, right?” he asked once he was close enough.

“Yes, and you’re Sun.” she answered with a small smile.

“Yup that’s me!” a collective sound of people shushing him had Sun shrugging his shoulders and sitting down in the chair across from her. “So, Blake, how are you?”

“I’m doing well. Just working on some homework. How about you?”

“Just enjoying my vacation. I’m from Mistral and right now we’re having our spring break.”

“Oh, what brings you to Vale?” Blake asked curiously.

“Ilia invited me to come out here; she knew I wasn’t going to do anything so me and some of my friends decided to come. They’re all at Ilia’s house still sleeping but I decided to come out and just enjoy the day.”

“What made you decide to come to the library?”

“It looked like a cool place to come and chill. But now that I’m here I kinda want to go eat. Say, are you hungry? Do you want to get some food?”

Blake didn’t answer right away. She really did have a lot of work to do but she was also starting to get hungry; she had been working for almost three hours already. “Sure, that sounds good. I know a ramen place that isn’t far from here.”

“Ramen sounds great!” another round of shushing and Blake had to cover her mouth to not laugh. “Let’s get going then.”

Quickly gathering her stuff, Blake placed all her books and her notebooks into her backpack and was about to sling it over her back when Sun grabbed it. She tried to protest but he insisted so she stopped arguing. They walked out of the library together and Blake led them to the small ramen place that was only a block away. Once they walked inside, they found a spot near the window and placed their order.

“How long have you known Adam?” Blake asked once the waiter walked away with their food and drink order.

“I actually just met him when I came down here.” He answered while his tail swung around behind him. “But I’ve known Ilia for a few years. She used to live in Vacuo for a while before moving to Atlas and then here.”

“I see.” Blake said. “And the friends that you’re here with?”

“I’ve known all of them since we were kids. I’m originally from Vacuo but I ended up moving to Anima at the beginning of middle school. I met Scarlet first and he introduced me to his friends Sage and Neptune. We all became best friends after that.” The waiter came by then and set their drinks down on the table; hot green tea for Blake and water for Sun. He took a sip of his drink. “What about you? Do you have any friends?”

“Yes, I do.” Blake thought for a minute before continuing. “I only really have one friend if I’m being honest; her name is Weiss.”

“Oh, you mean the heiress to SDC?”

“Yes, that’s her. She’s one of the most amazing people I know.” Blake said with a smile.

“How long have you two been friends?”

“Since middle school so almost five years. It was a rough start but I’m happy that we’re so close now.”

“That’s awesome. But just so you know, now you have two friends!” Sun said with a smile.

“Are you saying you’re my friend now?”

“Yup! That’s exactly what I’m saying!”

“Alright, dork. I accept your friend offer.” Blake said while rolling her eyes. He smiled widely and after that they stayed silent.

Well, for only a few minutes.

Blake quickly learned that Sun just wasn’t a quiet person. He always had to be talking about something, which normally would have annoyed her, but she didn’t really mind with him, surprisingly. Sun was just an easy person to talk to; she found herself talking to him about her favorite books and all the different bands she liked. He in turn told her that he wasn’t much of a reader but that he played sports regularly and that his favorite was football; he was the quarterback at his school.

“I have no plans to go pro, but I know I could if I wanted to.” He had said after slurping down some noodles. “I still have time to figure it out. What about you?”

“I want to be a journalist.” Blake replied while covering her mouth, still chewing on some pork that was in her bowl. “I want to tell the world about all the truths and wrong doings going on with the Faunus. It’s been getting better but there’s so much work that still needs to be done.”

“That's really noble of you.”

“I don’t see it as being noble; I’m just one person who’s willing to make a difference for our kind. I want everyone to know the truth, all of it. Even the dark and dirty secrets that are being swept under the rug.”

Sun didn’t say anything as he continued to eat his noodles. Blake always became passionate when she spoke about this particular subject and some people tended to become uncomfortable. Sun didn’t seem like he was uncomfortable though, he just seemed to be lost in thought about what was going on. After he finished eating, he leaned back into his chair and sighed.

“You seem like you know what you want out of life. I hope you accomplish all of that, Blake. You’re a pretty cool person.”

“Thanks, Sun.” Blake said with a smile. “You’re a cool person, too.”

He gave her another wide smile and the rest of their time there was spent in silence as Blake finished her food. Once the check came, Sun insisted on paying, even though Blake was the one who had brought them here, he refused to let her pull out her wallet. With the check paid and their food finished, they both stood up to leave the small restaurant. Sun walked her back to the library but let her know that he had to get going; he had to be back at the house soon so they could all go to the movies. He invited her to tag along but she declined; she still had a little more studying to do and once she was done her mom was going to pick her up so they could go get pedicures with Weiss. Before leaving, Sun gave her his number and she gave her number to him as well. He waved goodbye and took off at a run down the street. She rolled her eyes and was about to go back into the library when she felt the feeling of being watched. Turning, she was more than shocked to see Adam standing off to the side.

“Hey, Blake.” He said once he had her attention.

“Hi, Adam. What brings you here?”

“Your dad asked me to pick you up and take you to White Fang headquarters.”

“My mom is supposed to pick me up.” Blake told him, confused.

“He told me to let you know she was going to pick you up there. Are you ready?”

“Yes, I am.”

Adam motioned for her to follow him and she did. Parked on the side of the car was a sleek looking two door car; it was a dark red color and it looked expensive. He slid into the driver’s seat and she was quick to follow. Not long later, they were cruising down the street towards the direction of the White Fang headquarters. It was absolutely silent in the car; the radio was switched off and Adam wasn’t speaking. Blake wasn’t sure if she should say anything so instead, she stayed silent and looked out of the window at all the passing buildings. The ride wasn’t very long and soon enough, they were pulling into the parking lot and Adam was sliding into one of the open spots. He put the car in park and turned it off, but he made no move to get out, so Blake stayed sitting down.

“You and Sun were on a date?” he asked suddenly.

“Huh?” Blake asked confused.

“You and Sun, you two were on a date?” he asked again.

“No, I ran into him at the library. We were both hungry, so we went to go eat.” Blake explained. “It was a coincidence.”

“That’s good to know.” Adam said with a smile. “You still haven’t responded to my request for a date.”

Blake felt the butterflies return and she looked away with a blush on her face. “Sure, I’ll go on a date with you.”

When Blake looked back at him he still had the same smile on his face. They exchanged numbers and they both exited the car. She felt giddy and she felt as if she was going to float away. Adam was very attractive and even though she could hear Weiss in the back of her head saying how he was older, she silenced it. The age gap wasn’t that big of a deal; besides, it was only one date. No harm was going to come from one date.

~*~*~*~

They went to a Mistrilian restaurant for their first date; that always stood out the most to Blake because she remembers how she had said she hated Mistrilian food, but Adam insisted that this place was the best and she would like it. She still remembers looking at the menu and frowning; there was absolutely nothing that she wanted. At the time, she couldn’t tell that Adam was getting annoyed with her; they had to tell the waitress twice that they still weren’t ready to order since Blake was having such a hard time deciding on what to eat. She ended up settling on some sort of chicken dish that she hated; Adam made her eat most of it. That should have been the first warning, but Blake figured it was the least she could do since he was the one who was going to be paying for it.

Adam’s dish came out wrong and he made a huge deal about it. She remembers that he almost made the waitress cry because of how he was talking to her. The manager had even come out and brought him a new dish and he ended up taking care of them for the rest of their date.

The conversation was one sided. He mainly talked about himself and how he wanted to be the best UFC fighter that anyone had ever seen. He even went as far as to say he wanted to be better than Ghira. Blake remembers she had laughed, and he glared at her from across the table. She apologized to him and he continued on.

After dinner, Adam drove her home. He walked her to the front door and when she turned around to tell him that she had a good time, he had grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her forward. His lips were on hers before she even knew what was going on. She had only been kissed once before and she wasn’t sure on what to do. He pulled away a moment later and told her that he enjoyed their evening and was looking forward to their next date. He left her there after that and she watched in shock as he walked back to his car.

She remembers the butterflies coming back as she touched her lips with her fingertips; she had smiled at the memory of his lips on hers. Just thinking about that made Blake curl into herself; for so long she had such bad memories of that time on her porch. Now, she’d think of how Yang had kissed her cheek softly; she didn’t force herself on her. That thought alone had Blake exhaling slowly and a smile spreading across her face.

She was hoping that the trip down memory lane would end there, but it didn’t. Another memory came flittering back and she felt her ears pin back as it came at her full force.

~*~*~*~

Today marked six months of them being together. Blake had been so excited as she crossed out the previous day on her calendar. Today was Adam’s first televised match and she was excited to go and support her boyfriend. She had the perfect outfit picked out; a shirt with his silhouette on it with his name written at the bottom and a rose on the back. At first Blake was going to get it in black, but instead decided to do it the color of his car. She would wear her favorite pair of skinny jeans and her heeled boots to complete the outfit. All she had to do now was get through school.

It was a long day but once it ended, Blake had rushed home and quickly showered and changed into her planned outfit. Her mom was going to take her to where the match was being held at and she was planning on going with Adam after his match was over.

This was the first match he ever lost. She was so upset for him; but if she was being honest the other guy was better than Adam. Blake would never tell him that though; there were just some things that were better left unsaid. Once Adam was cleared to leave, Blake met him outside where his car was parked. When she saw him, she gave him a smile and she was going to hug him but he walked right passed her and went to get inside his car; she knew he would be upset about losing but she was hoping he’d let her comfort him. Not wanting to get left behind, she got into his car and they sat in silence as he drove them to his apartment.

Now that they were inside, Blake was hoping that he’d at least talk to her. Instead, he went straight to his bedroom and she heard the shower turn on; sighing, she went and sat down on his couch and pulled out her book to read. She understood why he was so upset; she just wished he would talk to her about it.

Her ear twitched as she heard the shower shutting off. A few minutes later he came out wearing a pair of pajama pants and a white t-shirt. Closing her book, she set it aside and smiled at him. Adam didn’t return the smile; he went straight to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from inside the fridge. When he came back to the living room, he was taking a drink from the bottle and just staring at her.

“Adam are you okay?” she asked him. He didn’t answer her. “Adam?”

“Of course, I’m not alright. That’s a stupid question to ask.” Adam finally said. He finished his beer and set the empty bottle down on the counter.

She flinched as she heard the glass collide with the counter. “I’m sorry…I just thought I’d ask.”

“Well you clearly aren’t thinking if you’re going to ask such a stupid fucking question.” Adam went back to the fridge and grabbed another beer.

Blake didn’t say anything this time. Instead, she watched as he finished the beer he had in his hand and then went to grab another one. She really didn’t want to stay anymore if he was going to be like this. Placing her book back in her bag, she stood up from the couch.

“Where the hell are you going?”

“I’m going home. I don’t want to be around you when you’re upset and all you’re doing is taking it out on me.” Blake said firmly. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

She hadn’t even made it to the door when Adam grabbed her by her arm. “I didn’t say you could leave.”

“Let me go, Adam.” She tried to say evenly, but her voice quivered as she tried to hide her fear. The grip on her arm tightened. “You’re hurting me.”

“You’re not leaving, so sit back down.” He pulled her roughly by her arm and pushed her towards the couch where she stumbled but caught herself before she could fall.

“Adam, I want to go home.” She said again, tears forming in her eyes.

“I don’t know why you’re being like this. I just want you here with me.” he spoke softly. “I’m sorry that I hurt you, I didn’t mean to. I won’t do it again, I promise. Please, baby, just stay.”

And she did.

The next morning when she woke up in his bed, she had bruises on her arm from where he had grabbed her. The shirt would cover it up on the off chance her parents were home. Adam was already gone by the time she made her way out of the bedroom. On top of the table was a vase full of white roses; the card said, “I love you.” And was signed by Adam. She smiled and felt the butterflies return as she bent down to smell the flowers.

He promised he wouldn’t do it again, and she believed him.

~*~*~*~

It was their one-year anniversary; Adam took her to the very same restaurant that they went to on their first date. Blake still didn’t know what to order this time around, so she settled on the same dish from over a year ago and pretended to like it. Adam was currently talking to a fan who had come up to the table and Blake tried her hardest not to be jealous; the girl was obviously flirting with him and he wasn’t even trying to turn her away. She sat in silence and sipped her tea as the girl giggled at whatever it was Adam was saying. The waiter came by and asked them if they needed anything. Adam spoke for her and said no.

Once the giggling fan girl had left, their food arrived. Adam made a toast to a wonderful year together and Blake forced a smile as she took a sip of her tea and he drank heavily from his drink. She could smell the whiskey from where she was sitting.

“Maybe you should slow down on those? You do have to drive us back.” She said with a laugh, trying to keep her tone light.

“Don’t tell me what to do.” He growled. He slammed his drink down and asked a passing waiter to bring him another one.

The rest of their dinner went downhill from there.

By the time they left the restaurant, Adam was toeing the line of being drunk. Blake didn’t want to leave with him, but she knew that if she called herself a cab it would start a fight that she didn’t want. He had his arm wrapped around her and was stumbling along; his weight was almost too much for her small form, but she kept a steady pace as they made it the short distance to where he had parked. She was expecting him to give her the keys, but he was making his way towards the driver’s seat.

“Maybe I should drive, Adam.”

“Shut up and get in the fucking car.” Was his response. He slammed the door shut as soon as he got in.

Blake flinched but got in anyways. The whole drive to his apartment was spent with her holding onto the handlebar and praying to the gods that they didn’t crash or get pulled over. He was weaving through traffic and honking at anyone who got in his way. At one point he was tailgating a driver who had “cut him off” and they almost rear-ended the car twice. She begged for him to slow down; to pull over to she could drive.

“Please, Adam, please just pull over and I’ll drive us the rest of the way home.” Blake begged, tears streaming down her face. “Please, baby I’m scared.”

He turned to her and she felt a chill run down her spine; the look he was giving her…he was looking at her with such malice that for once, she actually began to fear him.

They made it to his apartment with no incident. Adam had already gotten out of the car and was heading towards the entrance to his apartment. Blake was still sitting in the car and had her phone out, she began texting her dad; asking if he could please go and pick her up. He text back quickly asking if everything was okay but before she could reply the door was swung open and she shrieked in fright. Looking into Adam’s ice blue eyes – void of emotion – had her wishing that she would have just called a cab at the restaurant. At least there he wouldn’t have caused a scene. She wasn’t sure on what he would do to her now that they were alone.

**Adam **grabbed her by the arm and pulled her roughly from the car. “Who are you texting?”

“M-my dad. I want to go home, Adam.”

He growled and grabbed her phone. She watched as he sent a text to her dad telling him never mind, that everything was fine and that she was going to stay at Adam’s house after all. Adam didn’t wait for a reply. He put her phone in his pocket and with that task done he began to pull her towards his apartment. Blake tried to stop, tried to yank her arm free, but he wouldn’t budge. They made it to his apartment and as soon as the door closed he began yelling.

“I don’t know why you’re being such a bitch tonight! Everything was fine but you were just being so fucking dramatic and nagging at everything I was doing. I don’t know why I’m with you; you’re fucking pathetic!”

Tears were streaming down Blake’s face as she continued to try and get free from Adam’s grasp. He had never been like this with her before; he had never grabbed her this way. Why was he getting so angry? “Adam, please I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I swear, I’m so sorry. Adam please let go of my arm!”

Adam pushed her away and she hit the sofa. Blake looked up at him with tears in her eyes, making her vision of him distorted. The anger in his eyes had all her hair standing on end; she just wanted to go home. As he got closer to her she tried to move away but it was almost as if she was paralyzed.

He slapped her.

Blake let out a strangled cry as she felt the force of his slap. She could taste blood in her mouth and out of instinct, she reached her hand up to touch the spot where his open palm had hit. When she looked up at Adam, he had no emotion in his eyes. She half expected him to hit her again, but instead he turned around and headed towards his bedroom where he slammed the door **shut.**

She crumpled to the floor moments later, her hand still pressed against her stinging cheek. How had this night turned so bad, so quickly? Blake could hear the vibration coming from her phone. She wasn’t entirely sure how it had ended up on the floor, but she made her way over to it. She had missed calls from her dad as well as some text messages. She didn’t trust her voice, so she sent him another text.

**Me:** _Everything is fine._

**Dad:** _What happened?_

**Me:** _Adam and I got into a disagreement. We worked it out. Everything is fine._

Blake turned her phone off without waiting for a reply and leaned back against the couch. She wasn’t sure on what to do. She should leave, she had to leave. As soon as she woke up she would go home. Once she was there, she’d call Adam and let him know that she didn’t want to be with him anymore; that this was it. Now that her mind was made up, Blake pulled herself off of the floor and went to lay down on the couch. She curled up into a ball and began to cry.

When she awoke the next morning, the first thing she saw was a vase full of peonies. She sat up slowly, her eyes still on the flowers in front of her. Movement from the dining table is what made her turn her attention away. Adam was sitting down with his head in his hands, when he looked up, his eyes were red as if he had been crying. He got up from the chair and got down on his knees in front of her. Grabbing her hands, he brought them up to his lips and kissed them.

“I’m sorry, my love. I am so, so sorry. I’ll never do it again. Please forgive me, Blake. Please.”

Adam’s words were so sincere. How could she not forgive him? He must have woken up early to go and get those flowers for her. Now that she had slept, things just seemed a little clearer; a lot less horrible. It was just a slip. He said he’d never do it again and she believed him.

She intertwined their hands together and gave him a smile. “I forgive you.” She said softly as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

Adam raised his head up and kissed her, he pulled away a few moments later and rubbed the cheek that he had hit the night before. He kissed her cheek before standing up and walked back towards the kitchen. Blake only sat there and leaned back against the couch, her eyes going towards the flowers. They weren’t her favorite, but they were beautiful.

She picked one of the flowers out of the vase and sniffed the peony in her hand. Everything would be alright.

Everything would be alright.

~*~*~*~

Everything was not alright.

As the years went by, things just escalated. Everything would be fine for a few months until they weren’t. Adam continued to berate Blake on everything she did and over time, Blake came to believe everything that he would tell her. That she was useless, no one would love her; she belonged to him and only him.

She began to drift away from all of her friends; Sun had introduced her to his friends from school and she had grown close to them all, but once Adam found out he made her stop talking to them. “They only want to fuck you.” He told her one day. She believed him.

The only two people she talked to were Weiss and Ilia, the later only because Adam seemed to trust her and Weiss refused to leave her alone, no matter how much Blake pushed her away.

“I’m worried about you.” Weiss told her one day while they were having lunch. They had recently found a restaurant called Candlelight to meet up at; it was a nice little place. “I hardly ever see you since you’re always with Adam. We’re almost done with school, Blake. You need to focus so you can get into Beacon University with me.”

“I’m not going to Beacon.” Blake answered while shifting in her seat; she tried not to wince as she brushed up against a bruise on her side; she adjusted her sunglasses that were on her face. “Adam said that I don’t have to go to school, that I can just get a job or just stay at the apartment. He said he’d take care of me.”

“I don’t give a damn about what Adam says Blake!” Weiss exclaimed. “You have to go to school so you can accomplish all your goals! Or did you forget about those?”

“I didn’t forget, Weiss. I’m just going to put them on hold for a while. Adam says –”

“I don’t fucking care, Blake!” Weiss began to shake her head. “Seriously, Blake I am worried about your behavior. You’ve never acted like this before in all the years we’ve known each other. I know you, Blake. Something is wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong. You’re being dramatic. Everything is fine.” Blake looked down at her scroll. “I’ve got to go. I need to get home.”

“You mean Adam’s apartment?” Weiss reached out her hand towards Blake; she noticed how she flinched. Her blue eyes swam with concern as she looked up at her best friend. “Please, Blake, stay. Talk to me, tell me what’s going on!”

Blake stood up from her chair. “I already told you, everything is fine. Bye Weiss.”

The cat Faunus ignored the heiress’ pleas for her to come back. She quickly left the restaurant and got into her car, trying so hard to fight the tears that were threatening to escape. She pulled up to Adam’s apartment building and sighed heavily before shutting off the car. She should have talked to Weiss; she might have been able to help.

_No one can help._

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to make the voice in the back of her head go away. Graduation was only a month away; ever since her eighteen birthday she’d been living here with Adam. Her parents weren’t too thrilled about it and tried to convince her to stay, but she didn’t listen. She had yelled at them that they just wanted her to be miserable and unhappy; she told them both that she hated them. Blake hadn’t spoken to either one of them since then, but she knew that Ghira and Adam still saw each other frequently at work. She never knew exactly what happened during those exchanges, but she figured it would be best if she didn’t know at all.

Opening the door to the apartment, the first thing she noticed was the vase of flowers on the coffee table. The flowers were small and pink, the insides a darker shade of pink. It took her a while to remember the name, but they came to her rather suddenly. Rhododendron; they were quite beautiful. She leaned down and smelled them, happy with the sweet fragrance the flower was giving off. The note on the card had Blake’s name with a heart right next to it. She couldn’t hear any other sounds coming from within the apartment, so she knew Adam was still out at the gym more than likely. It had been so long since she had seen him practice, but she knew better than to go and try and surprise him. The last time she did that Adam had been furious; he left her with a bruise on her wrist that she had to keep covered for a week.

Blake began to clean the already immaculate apartment, but she didn’t know what else to do. She couldn’t concentrate on reading and studying was useless. It didn’t take her long to finish cleaning and once she did, she went and sat down on the couch and just waited.

Eventually Adam would come home and when he did, Blake hoped that he was in a good mood. Because if he wasn’t…

Blake couldn’t help the chills that ran down her spine and her stomach began to flutter.

**~*~*~*~**

“You’re so fucking pathetic! You can’t do anything right!” Adam hit her again.

Blake didn’t say anything; it didn’t matter what she said. He wouldn’t stop until he was finished. He continued to yell at her; continued to hurt her. Her lip was split, and she could taste the blood on the inside of her mouth. He kicked her; she cried out. Adam hit her again for making noise. A kick to her side. Everything went black.

She woke up on the floor. There was dried blood caked onto the tile; she sat up slowly and grabbed her head in pain. She was having trouble breathing; a cracked rib? She was almost too scared to check. Slowly rising to her feet, she had to grab onto the couch to keep herself from falling over. It was dark outside, and she could hear the steady sound of rain. Other than that, the apartment was quiet; Adam must have left. Blake forced herself to their shared bedroom and continued on into the bathroom. Switching on the light, she looked at her reflection.

Her face was red as were her eyes; Adam had managed to avoid her face this time. Along her arms were various bruises; Blake was almost too scared to take her shirt off. But she did it anyways. Removing her clothes was difficult; everything hurt. Once she had stripped naked, she took in her appearance and watched as her reflection became blurry from her unshed tears. There were so many bruises…

Turning on the sink, she began to clean up her split lip, wincing in pain from the contact. Once she was done, she stepped into the shower and switched it on, letting the cold water touch her skin. Blake began to sob as she felt the water hit her bruised body. It was getting worse; how could it possibly get any worse from here?

After she was done, she switched off the water and stepped out, ignoring her reflection completely. Grabbing a towel, she dried off before going back to their bedroom and grabbing a pair of shorts and a long shirt. As she exited the bedroom, she stopped in her tracks when she saw Adam standing in the doorway of their apartment. They both stared at each other, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned around and slammed the door shut.

Letting out a breath, Blake slowly made her way towards the kitchen so she could make herself some tea. Once again, she stopped in her tracks. On the table was another vase of flowers. Moving closer, she gently touched the red petal of the salvia before ripping it off. She wanted to throw the flowers in the garbage, but she wouldn’t. Blake lowered herself to the floor and began to cry once again.

Blake had to leave, and it had to be soon.

**~*~*~*~**

Tears were steaming down her face as she remembered that day so vividly in her mind. Even though that day had been bad, it still wasn’t the day she left him. She closed her eyes tightly and bit her bottom lip; she refused to think about that night. It was already three in the morning, but Blake couldn’t make herself go to sleep. Sun and Neptune had already come and gone, and her parents were sleeping soundly in their bedroom; their flight would be leaving at six thirty that morning and Blake was to drive them to the airport. Why of all nights did this have to happen tonight?

As Blake turned onto her side, she pulled the stuffed cat Yang gave her tightly to her as she finally realized what she should have noticed all along.

The butterflies had been warning signs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While writing this chapter, I started looking into different symbolism when it came to the flowers that Adam was buying for Blake. The white roses that he gets for her the first time after their argument, was to show what should have been the purity of his promise to never do it again; almost like a fresh start. It also symbolizes the innocence of Blake; that she believed that he would never do it again. The peonies are commonly known to represent romance but during the Victorian ages it represents anger; so, the way I wanted it to be was that it's supposed to be a romantic gesture, but he's angry about it. The rhododendron is actually a poisonous flower that during the Victorian era was labeled "beware" since it is poisonous. So, this in a sense is a way of saying that Adam is dangerous since when she receives these the abuse it steadily getting worse. The last flower that Adam gives to Blake is the red salvia, which the red means "forever mine." I had so much fun (maybe not the right word to use) looking up all the different meanings of the flowers and figuring out where to use them in the story.
> 
> This chapter was such a hard one to write. So many texts were sent to my best friend, telling her how sad it was making me. Let me know what you guys think?
> 
> I hope you guys had a great Christmas and I will see you all next year!
> 
> The song that this chapter is based off of is Graveyard by Halsey.
> 
> Twitter: @VioletSkye413


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Blake was in a funk that she couldn’t shake for the next few days. Life was returning to normal, but things were difficult without her parents in Vale. This was the first time that Blake had been away from them since she left Adam and it was affecting her more than what she had thought it would. Monday and Tuesday were a blur as she transitioned back into work. All the decorations from the fight were taken down and Blake was happy that they were, she wouldn’t have been able to handle it otherwise.

She and Yang talked the two days before Sun’s birthday. Blake asked her so many questions; her favorite movies, favorite foods, her best memories growing up. Blake wanted to know everything about her. Yang loved action movies but absolutely hated horror movies; she said they made her squeamish. Her favorite food was a good old-fashioned cheeseburger with everything on it. Yang admitted that she didn’t eat much of them since she had to maintain her diet for the most part. Blake honestly didn’t see how that could even be possible since Yang worked out like crazy, but she had decided to keep that to herself. As for her best memory, she said she had way too many to just name one, and that she’d tell her in person all of her favorite ones. Just the thought of seeing her again, had Blake feeling giddy.

It was Wednesday afternoon and Blake was still sitting in her bedroom wondering what she should wear for tonight. The club they were going to was casual enough where she could get away with wearing jeans, but she wanted to wear something a little nicer. Checking the time, she saw that she still had at least four hours before they were all supposed to leave. Picking up her scroll, she dialed Weiss’ number.

_“Hello?”_

“Let’s go shopping. I have nothing to wear.”

_“You always say that and then I find you something cute to wear.” _A sigh on the other line. _“What did you want to wear?”_

“I was thinking maybe a dress. Or even a skirt. I have a few dresses here that might work but I want to see if I can find something new.”

_“Are you ready now? I can go pick you up.”_

“Yeah I’m ready. Just let me know when you get here.”

Weiss agreed and they hung up a few minutes after. It didn’t take long for the heiress to show up and once she did, they drove off to a store where Blake knew she’d find something. Looking through all the different clothing racks, she was beginning to think that maybe she had jinxed herself by saying she’d find something there. Nothing really popped out to her and she was beginning to feel bummed out.

“Did you find anything?” Weiss asked as she rounded the corner.

“No, nothing.” Blake grumbled. “I’m beginning to think that this was a waste of time.”

“Keep looking, maybe you’ll find something after the second time around.”

Blake nodded her head before going back to the first row of clothes. As she was browsing some of the dresses, a flash of orange caught her eye on the rack across from her. Leaving the dresses, she made her way over to where she saw the shirt; once she got closer and pulled the shirt out, she knew she found the one. The shirt was cropped at the bottom, so her stomach would be exposed, but what caught her eye was a dragon that was in a shimmery orange fabric. Walking to a nearby mirror, she stood in front of it with the shirt pressed against her and smiled; she found what she was going to wear tonight, and she even had the perfect shorts to go with it back at home. She went to go find Weiss and when she showed it to her, Weiss smiled and said that it was perfect.

“Yang is going to love it, by the way.” Weiss commented as they left the store after Blake paid.

Trying to hide the blush, she shrugged her shoulders but decided not to comment. She couldn’t exactly deny that the only reason she was even getting the shirt was because of Yang; it literally screamed her. They went a few stores down and got a smoothie before heading back to Sea Monkeys where Weiss let her know she’d see her there later once she got ready. All of the usual gang were going to meet up at Sea Monkeys to pre-game before heading out to Viper.

Which meant that once Blake walked in, she went into the kitchen and began to pull out whatever bottles they owned so she could set them all up on the counter before grabbing some plastic cups and different mixers. Cutting up limes, she dressed some of them with salt and some she left without. Everyone should be arriving in about an hour and a half, so that gave her plenty of time to get changed.

After checking her scroll to make sure that no one had text her, Blake made her way towards her room and pulled out the shorts she wanted to wear as well as the new shirt. The shorts were…definitely going to turn some heads when she wore them out. They were all black and frayed along the front and back; the thing about the shorts though was that they were corset style on the sides, and they showed a significant amount of upper thigh. She had only worn them once when she had worked, and she had gotten a lot of tips along with some unwanted attention, so she hadn’t worn them since. The downside was that she had to wear a certain pair of underwear that had clear straps, creating the illusion that she wasn’t wearing any at all. Today though, Blake felt comfortable and confident. Setting both items aside, she went to pick out the make-up she would wear as well as her undergarments and quickly changed into her outfit. Checking herself in the mirror, she decided that she looked damn good. She had just finished applying her make-up when she heard someone coming up the stairs. Blake smiled as she set down her eye liner and made her way towards the door.

The first person to arrive was Weiss, which didn’t surprise Blake at all. Weiss was actually wearing her hair down and had it in loose waves down her back. The thin strapped powder blue dress she wore went down to her mid-thigh and hugged her curves in all the right places.

“Damn girl, if you weren’t like the sister I never had I’d totally bang you.”

Weiss rolled her eyes and pushed her way past Blake and into the living room. “You are so annoying.”

Blake only laughed before closing the door and walked into the kitchen where she had all of the liquor bottles lined up. “What do you want?”

“Brandy old fashioned.”

“Starting off a little hard, huh?”

“It’s been a week and it’s only Wednesday. Work has me wanting to pull my hair out and to make matters worse, that man who was insistent on asking me out has been bothering me while I’ve been trying to work. He even went and asked my father if he could take me out. My father was thrilled, and he agreed. So yeah, I need something really strong.”

“Fuck, you need more than a strong drink. You need a shot and a hug.” The heiress only nodded her head as Blake quickly poured them a double shot of tequila. She handed Weiss a salted lime and they clinked their glasses before throwing the shot back. Blake gave her best friend a quick hug. “Just remember that no matter what, you don’t have to go with that asshole anywhere.”

“I know. I keep giving him the run around so I’m sure he’ll figure it out eventually. But enough about that, let’s have a drink and wait for everyone else to show up.”

Without having to be told twice, Blake quickly set to work on making Weiss her drink before making herself a cherry vodka sour. They clinked glasses once again and went to sit down in the living room while they waited for everyone else to show up.

The plan was for everyone to meet here at the apartment where they would have a few drinks before heading out. Blake was excited to see Yang again; even though they had been in constant contact (they had even exchanged a few pictures) but she hadn’t seen her since the day they had breakfast. Weiss was busy on her scroll and Blake was left to just sit and wait for everyone to show up. She wasn’t really planning on drinking very much; she already knew that Sun was going to drink enough for all of them, so she wanted to be a little responsible to make sure that he didn’t get into too much trouble.

Not too long after, Neptune and Sun showed up; Neptune was wearing a red button up shirt with some black pants and his favorite all black Converse. Sun was…well he was wearing a shirt and that’s what mattered. His black button up was hanging open, exposing his chest; that was definitely going to get him loads of drinks. Seconds after they had shut the door, it swung open again. Scarlet was holding it wide open and yelled out “Surprise bitches!” before strutting into the living room in a pair of white skinny jeans and a pink shirt. Sage came in right after wearing a simple white shirt and blue jeans.

“I like your pink shirt.” Weiss said with a sly smile as she sipped her drink.

“Bitch, it’s salmon.” Scarlet said while snapping his fingers and strutted into the kitchen where he began to make himself a drink. “I’m surprised you even know this color since your cold-hearted self only knows white and blue.”

“Don’t forget green.” Neptune said with a wink.

“I hate you all.” Weiss said with an eye roll and a small smile.

Blake rolled her eyes and leaned back against the couch. All this waiting was driving her crazy. The guys all began talking about how excited they were to be going to this particular club; apparently it was hard to get in but because of not only Yang’s connection with the owner and Weiss’ money, they were going to get the full VIP treatment. Blake’s phone buzzed and when she looked down she saw a text from Ruby saying that they had just arrived and were heading upstairs. Sure enough, Blake heard the stairs creek from weighted footsteps and then she heard the familiar sound of Yang’s voice. Standing up, she went towards the door and opened it, Yang’s fist still poised in the air from where she was going to knock. Blake’s smile slowly changed to her mouth hanging open slightly at the sight of what Yang was wearing.

Holy fuck.

The shimmering rose gold dress had thin spaghetti straps and the dress was lowcut, showing off a significant amount of cleavage. The dress went only to mid-thigh and Yang was rocking some killer black high heels; her toes were painted black. Blake’s eyes traveled back up to Yang’s blonde hair that was still wild and untamed. Her make-up was flawless; eye lids painted in the same shade as her dress with the same shimmery effect and a dramatic cat eye that made the lilac of her eyes stand out even more so than usual. Her plump lips were covered in a pretty shade of pink and Blake could feel the phantom touch of her lips against her cheek.

Ruby pushed her way past Yang and nudged Blake in the arm while giving her a sly smile. “Wait until you see the back.”

Blake could feel her face getting warm but instead of answering she moved out of the way so Yang could come inside. Giving her a smile, she managed to greet her with a soft hello.

“Hey there, sweetheart.” Yang smiled. “You look…really, really good. Great even.”

“Thanks,” Blake brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You look beautiful, too.”

Yang’s face grew red, but she smiled before walking inside and closing the door behind her. Everyone had gone silent as Yang walked in and Blake could see that she was getting a little nervous. “Everyone, you remember Yang right?”

“You mean your super-hot girlfriend? Yes, we all remember her.” Scarlet said while walking up to Yang and give her a hug before kissing both of her cheeks. “That dress looks so amazing on you. I’m Scarlet David, it’s nice to officially meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well. And uh thanks.” Yang said with a smile. She leaned down to Blake who she was towering over with her heels. “So, I’m your super-hot girlfriend, huh?”

“Both of you need to stop talking.” Blake mumbled while her face grew red. She walked away from them, the both of them laughing at her expense. Weiss signaled for a new drink and Blake happily went to the kitchen to make her one.

Yang followed after her, looking around the kitchen as she went to lean against the countertop. Blake was watching her out of the corner of her eyes and was curious to know what she was thinking as she took in the random pictures that were dotted along the walls. Sun had brought with him all the things he once had in Vacuo, so there were a lot of random cacti pictures with bright yellow accents everywhere, as well as little terracotta pots of different cacti.

Setting down Weiss’ finished drink, Blake turned to Yang. “Did you want me to make you a drink?”

“Sure, sweetheart.”

“Strawberry sunrise, no ice, with a little umbrella?” Blake said with a smile.

Yang winked. “You know it.”

“Will you two stop flirting and get over here? We’re gonna play a drinking game before we go out.” Sun called from the living room.

Blake glared at him but couldn’t stop the blush that was forming on her face. “Can you take that to Weiss? I’ll be over there with your drink in a little bit.”

The blonde only nodded her head and carried the drink over to Weiss and it was only then that Blake finally understand what Ruby meant about the back of the dress. Most of it was covered because of Yang’s hair, but the parts that Blake could see…once Yang reached Weiss, she presented her drink to her and did a little bow in which the heiress rolled her eyes and thanked her for the drink. It was during this moment that the rest of the dress revealed. Or rather, the lack there of. The dress went down super lower and Blake briefly wondered if Yang was even wearing any underwear. The straps crisscrossed at the top and there was a large portion of her back that was uncovered before more straps were seen at the bottom. The cat Faunus was too busy starting that she accidentally overpoured and she cursed. Finally tearing her eyes away, she poured whatever extra alcohol there was in the cup into another one before finishing the drink and taking it over to Yang.

“Your face is red.” Yang commented, thanking her for her drink. A smug smiled graced her lips. “Did you see something you liked?”

Blake made eye contact with her. “Yes, actually, I did.” Leaning in closer, she waited until Yang’s ear was close to her dark colored lips. “She’s standing right next to me.”

Now it was Yang who turned a very bright shade of red. She let out a little laugh before wrapping her arm around Blake and pulling her closer to her. Blake giggled as she slowly wrapped her own arm around the gorgeous girl next to her; her skin was so warm and soft. She felt Yang’s breath hitch as Blake momentarily let her touch linger on her back before coming to rest on her waist. When the blonde looked down at her, Blake gave her an innocent smile before turning her attention towards the guys.

“I know it’s lame but we’re going to play ‘Never Have I Ever.’ Everyone is familiar with the rules, right?”

“Actually, I’m uh not.” Came Ruby’s answer from next to Weiss. She was playing with the edge of her black skirt and was currently snuggled into Weiss’ side.

“Hey, no biggie. So, the way the game goes is that the person who’s turn says something they’ve never done before. If someone who is playing has done it, they take a drink. Easy right? Except we’re doing this with shots so we can get a good buzz going before we leave.”

Ruby nodded her head but looked hesitant. Weiss squeezed her shoulder, causing the dark red shirt she was wearing to bunch. “You don’t have to drink, there’s soda or whatever else you might want.”

“No, I’ll have a few. It should be fun.”

Now that everyone was ready to play, Neptune reached into a gift bag that he brought inside and pulled out a bottle of tequila was only made in Vacuo. He whispered “happy birthday” into Sun’s ear before giving him a small kiss on the corner of his mouth. Sun’s enthusiastic response was to pull him in for a deeper kiss while telling him thank you. Scarlet good naturedly told them both to get a room and they all laughed as Sun got up and tried to drag Neptune to their room, but Neptune quickly put an end to that when he pulled him back down to sit. Sun laughed and wrapped him into a hug.

“Now, let’s start shall we?” Neptune asked with a blush still on his face.

“I’ll go first since I’m the birthday boy!” Sun declared. While he was thinking about his question to ask, Neptune began to pour the tequila into plastic shot glasses. “Oh! Never have I ever stolen anything!”

Scarlet let out a groan and picked up his shot and threw it back, making a noise of surprise at how strong the tequila was. The next person to take a shot was Yang who made a weird face as the shot went down. Blake handed her a lime before taking a shot herself.

“Blake, you’ve stolen something?!” Ruby asked.

“Yes,” she answered while putting the cup down. “I stole a bookmark at the school fair in elementary school. I didn’t bring enough money and I really wanted it.”

“What about you, Yang?” Weiss asked.

“A candy bar. My dad wouldn’t buy it for me; unfortunately, he caught me and made me apologize to the store owner.” She shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly.

“We already know what Scarlet stole, but why don’t you tell them?” Neptune said while taking a drink from his beer.

Scarlet sighed. “I stole a prom dress from a department store.”

“You what?!” Ruby and Yang asked at the same time.

“How did you manage that?” Yang asked a few seconds later.

“I had a backpack with me and took it with me to go try it on. While I was in the dressing room I stuffed it in there and walked out. It was surprisingly easy, and I never got caught.”

Yang looked impressed and Ruby seemed to still be processing why he would steal a dress, but she shrugged her shoulders before leaning back into Weiss’ side.

“Alright, my turn.” Neptune commented. “Never have I ever gotten into a fight.”

Yang groaned. “Seriously, dude? You know I fight for a living right?”

Neptune laughed. “I mean just a fight in general.”

Satisfied with his answer, Yang still threw her shot back as well as Sun, Sage, and Weiss. Sun let out a loud cheer and even Scarlet began to cheer and clap while chanting out “story time.” Weiss rolled her eyes.

“It was back in elementary school. Some girl put gum in my hair and so I punched her. Luckily I didn’t have to cut off very much, but my father was pretty furious.”

“Oh, dear old Papa Schnee.” Yang said with a laugh.

Weiss glared at her. “Don’t start. What about you, Sage?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Mutual agreement. We both didn’t like each other so we met up somewhere and let our fists do some talking.”

“He totally won.” Scarlet said smugly. Sage once again shrugged his shoulders.

“Yang?” Sun asked.

She sighed heavily before setting down her empty shot glass next to her drink. “It was a few years back. I had just been signed on and had just finished my first match; it wasn’t televised or anything though. Anyways, I was heading back towards the locker room when I saw this guy harassing one of the girls who worked there. At first, I thought maybe he was just being pushy and trying to get her number, but I heard him call her a “dirty Faunus” and that’s when I realized he was just a racist jerk. I went up to him and told him to leave her alone. He swung at me, so I swung back harder. We both ended up getting suspended, but I found out later his contract got canceled.”

Wait…that must have been the fight that her dad had mentioned before. It had to have been. Sun was talking about how that was cool of her to do that, but Blake wasn’t paying too much attention to what he was saying. Yang had actually stood up for a Faunus that she didn’t even know. She felt warmth blossom from her chest, and she pulled her closer to her side. Yang looked down at her, confusion on her face but that quickly changed to a soft smile and Blake felt her hand squeeze her side gently; the warmth of her hand felt like a scorch mark on her skin.

Scarlet was next and Blake watched him carefully; he was known to say things that he knew you had done, so that he could embarrass you and Blake wasn’t ready for that just yet. But regardless of if she was ready or not, she knew it was inevitable.

“I’ll do an easy one. Never have I ever gotten a tattoo.”

Sage was the first one to drink since he was obviously covered in tattoos. Blake glared at Scarlet and he gave her a knowing smirk before Blake threw back the shot that Neptune had just poured for her. Ruby’s mouth dropped open and she could feel Yang’s eyes on her. Chancing a look up at her, she could see that Yang’s mouth was also open.

“You have a tattoo?!” Yang asked.

“Yes, only one.”

“What is it? And where is it at?”

Blake looked up at her and gave her a mischievous smile. “I’ll show you some time.”

Yang swallowed and her cheeks turned red; she reached down and grabbed her drink and took a huge gulp. Blake let out a laugh and reached up and touched Yang’s blush tinted cheek. She felt Yang lean into her touch and her breath hitched in her throat. It was Weiss’ turn to ask something, but Blake honestly didn’t feel like playing anymore. She listened but didn’t participate, much to the dismay of Sun but he quickly shook it off. Yang was still playing but she had also stopped drinking and was just laughing along with everyone and the questions that were being asked. Every time Blake moved a little bit, Yang’s arm would slacken on the off chance she wanted to move, but when she would pull Yang with her, she would gently caress her exposed skin causing Blake to shiver. It was a nice feeling, having the option to move away if she wanted to and knowing that Yang wouldn’t be offended or angry if she did. It was nice, not having to worry about little things like that.

Checking the time, Blake looked over to Weiss who nodded her head. “Well guys, it’s time to head over to Viper. The limo should be here shortly.”

“Aw Weiss you got me a limo?” Sun asked excitedly.

“Of course.” Weiss said with an eye roll. “Everyone go and get your things and let’s head downstairs.”

Not having to be told twice, Sun shot up and was the first one out of the door with Neptune quick to follow. Sage and Scarlet were the next to walk out, leaving Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang still in the living room. Ruby was making sure she had her phone and Weiss was on her scroll, no doubt double checking to make sure that their reservation was still in place. Looking around, Blake sighed as she realized she left her purse in her bedroom.

Letting Weiss know, she made the short walk towards her room, finding her purse sitting on her bed where she had left it. Her ear twitched as she heard approaching footsteps, noticing right away that it was Yang. The soft clicking of her heels stopped right outside of her bedroom and when Blake turned around, she saw her standing in the doorway. Blake smiled and motioned her inside. Yang made her way in and began to look around at all of her belongings.

“You have a lot of books.” Yang commented with a laugh.

Blake laughed along with her. “Yes, I do. I actually have more at my parents’ house. All together I have about five hundred or so.”

Yang turned quickly to look at her. “I’m sorry, did you say five hundred?”

“Yes, you heard me correctly.” Her smile didn’t faulter as Yang looked around at all of her bookshelves that were crammed to compacity with books. “I told you I love to read.”

“You told me you _like_ to read, not that you were completely obsessed.” Yang turned to look at her once again. “Have you read all of these?”

“Most of them, yes. Some I haven’t read because I’m waiting for the series to be completed or simply because I haven’t gotten around to it.”

Moving closer to her, Yang rested her hand on Blake’s hip. “You’re such a nerd, but I like it.” Her fingers trailed the exposed skin from the side of her shorts and Blake’s breath hitched. “I also really like these shorts. And your shirt. Fuck, I just like everything about you.”

Feeling emboldened, Blake moved closer, so their bodies were only inches apart. She let her hand rest gently against Yang’s lower back and she slowly traced her fingertips up over the exposed skin of Yang’s back. Her eyes never left Yang’s as she did this, and she could see the change in her eyes; the evident want was reflected in her lilac gaze and Blake was more than sure she had the same exact look on her own face. She went as high as she could before bringing her hands back down slowly, causing the blonde woman to shiver.

“I really like this dress, but I definitely like the person who is wearing it better.” She whispered. They stayed silent only for a moment before Blake softly spoke again. “The only reason why I got this shirt was because of you.”

Yang chuckled. “I kinda figured. Dragons don’t really seem like your thing.”

“And what does seem like my thing?”

The blonde smirked. “Cats.”

“Cats…really?”

“Well, yeah. And it’s not because you’re a cat Faunus, either.”

“What is it then?” Blake asked curiously.

Yang sighed softly, causing Blake’s ear to twitch gently; a smile tugged on her lips. “When I first saw you at the bar, the first thing I noticed wasn’t your ears. It was just you; the way you were dancing and the way you walked and just your overall demeanor. It was graceful and you moved with purpose; it reminded me of a cat. It wasn’t until I saw the top of your head that I realized you were a Faunus. I just saw you, and it made me want to meet you and get to know who you are.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Although, the cat ears are super cute.”

Blake was rendered speechless. To think that at one point, she was worried that Yang wouldn’t like her because of the two fluffy triangles on top of her head. But hearing her say how on the night they met – before she knew this was Weiss’ friend – that Yang had already found her attractive, had wanted to know her. Blake wasn’t even sure how, but she managed to move closer to her.

“That was…really nice to hear.” Blake whispered. “I don’t think I’ve had anyone say that to me before.”

“It’s true. I’m completely mesmerized by you.” Yang whispered back. Her right hand made its way up towards her cheek and caressed it. She brought her closer to her face, her lips a hairs breath away from Blake’s. “Would it be alright if I –”

“Yes.”

Blake exhaled shakily, her hand coming up to grab hold of Yang’s. So close, and yet –

“Blake! Yang! The limo is here!” they both heard Ruby yell.

Cursing, Yang pulled back and stared into Blake’s eyes before giving her a crooked smile. “Rain check?”

Brushing back a few strands of blonde hair, Blake gave her a smile. “Definitely.”

~*~*~*~

The club was packed, and loud, which Blake had obviously expected. They hadn’t even stepped foot inside and she could already feel a headache coming on. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a familiar black ribbon and sighed as she began to tie it around her ears. Yang stared at her curiously before she answered.

“It helps muffle out the noise.” She gave Yang a sad smile as she finished the final knot.

Yang didn’t say anything, instead she grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers before pulling her closer. They both had a small blush on their face as they waited for Weiss to finish talking to the owner of the club. Apparently the club owner had gotten the dates mixed up, and Weiss was giving him an earful. Ten minutes later, they were making their way inside towards the VIP section; when they arrived, there was two bottles of expensive liquor sitting on the table.

“Oh man I am so excited!” Sun yelled as he hurriedly reached for the bottle of tequila that was sitting on the table. “Let’s start off with some shots!”

No one protested his request and they all stood around the table with shots in their hands and gave a toast to the birthday boy. Once the shots were taken, Sun declared that it was time to dance. He grabbed Neptune’s hand and dragged him towards the dance floor where they were swallowed up by moving bodies. Scarlet followed after Sun and Neptune and Sage went along with him. Blake went to sit down and when she looked, both Ruby and Yang were dancing in place to the song that was playing. Weiss was smiling at them both, but she went to join Blake in sitting down.

“We’re gonna go dance for a little bit!” Yang yelled out. “We’ll be back soon!”

Both of the girls watched them leave, Yang’s vibrant blonde hair still noticeable in the crowd. She turned to Weiss. “I didn’t know that they could dance.”

“Well, Ruby can’t dance but Yang can. They just both like the song that’s on.” Weiss shrugged. “I still can’t believe that moron got the dates mixed up. Seriously, how dumb can he be.”

Blake shrugged her shoulders. “Apparently stupid enough to get the dates mixed up. I thought both you and Yang talked to him?”

“We did and I know for a fact we gave him the right dates because we were both here at the same time. That man is lucky that this is one of Yang’s favorite clubs, if not, I’d never come back here.”

“You mean you come here often?” Weiss shrugged her shoulders, and Blake gave her a glare. “I’m going to assume that means yes.”

“Assume all you want, I said nothing.”

Blake let out a frustrated sigh and reached in front of her for the vodka; before she could pour herself a cup, she sighed again and put the bottle back. She had already said she wasn’t going to drink very much. Instead, she watched as everyone danced and had a good time. Weiss was busy on her scroll and Blake wished she would have brought a book; unfortunately, her purse was too small to fit a book inside.

The floor was vibrating from the heavy bass, the flashing technicolor lights were almost disorienting. The music was loud and even with the heavy material surrounding her cat ears, they were starting to ache with the volume. This kind of place had never been somewhere Blake enjoyed being; she preferred the bar atmosphere where it wasn’t as loud and only so many people could fit inside. But there was no way she was going to ruin this night for Sun. They came back after the song ended but only to get something to drink and then Sun was dragging Neptune back onto the dance floor. Sage and Scarlet both came back with margaritas, including a strawberry one for Weiss which she happily drank. Both boys sat down for a moment before another song came on, which Scarlet had jumped up excitedly and announced that this was his jam before going back on to the dance floor where Sage followed again, a smile on his face.

As they made their way in, Ruby made her way out. She went and sat down next to Weiss and pulled her in for a hug before giving her an affectionate kiss on her cheek.

“Where’s Yang?” Blake asked.

“Still dancing. Good luck getting her off the dance floor; she loves to dance.” Ruby said with a smile.

“You can always go join her.” Weiss commented while wrapping her arm around the brunette sitting next to her.

Blake made a face; it’s not that she didn’t know how to dance, she just chose not to. It had been so long since she had done it…she sighed once again. Blake sipped at her water that Sage had brought for her and continued to watch the people in front of her. The dance floor had cleared up enough that she was able to see both Sun and Neptune dancing together as well as Scarlet and Sage. Spotting a splash of blonde hair, her eyes zeroed in to where she saw Yang.

Oh, damn.

The way her body was swaying to the music was making Blake feel in a way she hadn’t felt in so long. She almost forgot the name of the word, until she saw Yang seductively moving her hips along to the music; desire. That’s what she was feeling. The feeling was so unfamiliar and yet she let it resonate within her, letting it make its way throughout her body until she stood up from her spot at the table and made her way over to Yang on shaky legs. She missed the way the guys were staring at her, ignored all the advances of the few people who dared try and get in the way of her going towards Yang. But once she reached the blonde bombshell, she confidently took hold of her hand.

At first, Yang’s reaction was to pull away her hand, until she looked over to see that it was Blake who had it. She gave her a wide smile and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before pulling her closer, her mouth to her ear.

“I’m surprised to see you out here! You don’t seem like the type to dance!”

“I used to dance a lot but now I’m bad at it.” Blake admitted. Even over the music, Blake heard Yang’s laugh.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I got you.”

Blake felt her face warm up, but she didn’t shy away; she was done trying to bury the feelings that were surfacing whenever she was around Yang. Her hand came up and rested on Yang’s hip and she followed the movement of her body. The rhythm wasn’t too fast paced so Blake was able to follow along easily enough. But as the song ended and a faster one replaced it; she felt her nerves increase. Before she had time to really think about it, Yang pulled her closer, her hand holding her securely on the bare part of her back. Yang moved her body in time with the music and guided Blake to match her rhythm. In no time at all, Blake was able to keep up with her. She couldn’t have stopped the laugh that escaped her even if she tried. Blake felt Yang laugh rather than heard her, which caused her to laugh again and pull the girl closer to her. She didn’t want the moment to end.

It took Blake a moment to realize that the guys had also joined them and once she did, she began to dance with all of them. Not to long after, Ruby and Weiss joined them and they all stood together and laughed at one another, the music bringing them together in a way that Blake hadn’t been aware it could.

Or, maybe it wasn’t the music; maybe it was a person. Looking over at Yang – who was dancing with Sun – she felt her heart swell with an emotion she hadn’t felt in so long, but that brought her instant comfort. Yang laughed as Sun did some weird grinding move on her and she playfully swatted away his tail. Seeing her smiling face caused her such joy that in an instant Blake felt herself falling; the moment she caught Yang’s eyes and saw her smile grow wider and give her a playful wink, she realized that Yang just might be falling too. She let it wrap around her like a warm blanket on a cold night, like the feeling she got when she finished a good book and held it close to her, absorbing the positive feelings it brought her. The soothing way the rain fell onto the ground and she had a mug of hot tea in her hands, enjoying the music that the storm brought. She felt these things and realized in an instant that with Yang, it felt like she was finally home.

As the song changed to a slower rhythm, they all decided to go and sit down. Sun had exclaimed that it was time to open presents but Blake wasn’t even sure if he had gotten anything else from anybody. She had his gift back at the apartment, but she wasn’t going to give it to him until the day after and she was sure that Yang wasn’t hiding anything in the dress she was wearing. Unless Ruby had it in her purse, which would make sense.

Once everyone was settled at the table, Sun opened up his arms and waiting for his gifts. Weiss rolled her eyes and told him that his gift was the VIP treatment. He pouted for only a second before smiling and thanking her once again. Neptune had another gift for him, but he gave him a wink saying it was for later which had everyone rolling their eyes. Scarlet’s gift had stayed at the apartment and Sage simply handed Sun some lien as well as a gift card to his favorite clothing store. When it was Yang’s turn, she excitedly nudged Ruby with her elbow and Ruby enthusiastically reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope before handing it over.

“Happy birthday, monkey boy.” Yang said with a smile. “Sorry, but it’s the best I can do under short notice.”

“Hey no worries! I’m sure I’ll like it anyways!” Sun said with a laugh before grabbing the envelope Yang had extended towards him. They all watched as he opened it and when his mouth dropped open, Blake tilted her head to the side to try and see what it was. “No fucking way…are these tickets to your title match next week?!”

“Yup! You’ll be right behind where my dad and uncle sit. I got you and Neptune a ticket. Sorry I couldn’t get the rest of you guys tickets; there weren’t many left.”

Scarlet shrugged his shoulders and said he was fine not going, and Sage felt the same way. “Wait,” Scarlet spoke a few moments later. “What about Blake?”

“Oh, I got her a ticket too.” Yang leaned in close to Blake, a wicked smile on her face. “I have it hidden somewhere you’ll have to find later.”

“You are so full of yourself.” Blake tried to say with a straight face. She shrugged her shoulders, her smile finally gracing her lips. “I guess I won’t be going after all.”

“Aw, Blakey don’t be like that.” Yang whined while pulling her closer to her. “I’m only joking; it’s in Ruby’s purse.”

Blake laughed and gave her a hug. Conversation resumed after that with Neptune and Scarlet talking about the other matches that were going to happen before the main title fight between Yang and Emerald. Feeling eyes on her, Blake turned to see Sun staring at the two of them, a smile on his lips. He didn’t have to say anything for Blake to know what he was thinking, because she was thinking the same thing.

It was so nice to finally be happy.

~*~*~*~

The night ended how Blake had expected it to; Sun was absolutely shit faced. Not long after he had opened his presents, Coco and Velvet had showed up (Blake was surprised to find out that Coco and Yang knew each other (“A story for another time.” Yang had said with a wink and a smile.)) and once they did, Coco bought Sun a double shot of tequila and didn’t stop until Neptune had to cut him off.

They all made their way outside of the club, Sage and Neptune both holding up a drunk Sun while Ruby was holding a drunk Weiss who had also taken part of taking shots with Coco and Sun (although not nearly as much as the birthday boy). Coco was holding Velvet’s hand and they were both talking to Scarlet who had stopped drinking earlier during the night since he was opening the bar the next day with Velvet. The limo was waiting for them and it would take them back to Sea Monkeys where everyone would part ways there.

At least, that was the plan until Coco offered to take Sun and Neptune back to his apartment since it was on the way to her own place. They all agreed it would be for the best since it would also be a short ride and they all knew how easily Sun got carsick when he was drunk. Sage had called an Uber for both him and Scarlet so that left Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Deciding to take the limo back to Sea Monkeys, they all said their goodbyes and Blake helped Ruby load a drunk Weiss into the car who kept telling everyone that she loved them. At least she was a happy drunk.

The whole ride home, Yang had her arm wrapped around Blake’s shoulders and she in turn had her hand resting on the thin material that was covering Yang’s thigh. Ruby and Yang were having a conversation about car parts and Weiss had her head resting against Ruby’s shoulder, a content smile on her face. Blake couldn’t keep up with their conversation, but she was fine with just listening to whatever it was they were talking about. Once they reached Sea Monkeys, Weiss announced that she really had to pee and that she couldn’t wait until they got to Yang’s apartment. They all got out of the limo even though Blake insisted she’d be able to get her up the stairs on her own; they had done it before after all.

As they ascended the stairs, the sisters stayed at the bottom and continued on their conversation from the limo. After unlocking the door and walking Weiss to the restroom, Blake went and set her purse down in her room and took of her boots; her feet were starting to hurt from all the dancing she did. Not too long later, she heard the bathroom door open and Weiss came stumbling out of the bathroom and into Blake’s room.

“I love you, Blake.” Weiss mumbled.

“I love you, too, Weiss. Are you ready to leave?”

Weiss didn’t say anything, instead she turned around and began to walk towards the living room with Blake quick to follow. Once outside, she helped her back down the stairs where Ruby and Yang were still waiting. She gave them both a smile and Weiss automatically went and gave Ruby a huge hug.

“I’m ready to go sleepy.” Weiss mumbled again.

“Well you heard the princess, time to go home.” Yang said with a laugh. Looking over at Blake, she gave her another smile. “I had a good time tonight; it was really fun hanging out with your friends.”

“I had a great time too.” Blake gave her a smile in return. She looked away, her face growing red. “Maybe in the future I can hang out with you and your friends?”

Yang’s smile only seemed to grow. “That sounds like a great plan. Oh, before I forget; what are you doing next Thursday?”

“Working probably. Why?”

“My title match it next week and the day before is the weigh in. Would you maybe want to get something to eat after? It’ll probably end about nine, so it’ll be a late dinner if that’s okay with you.”

Blake smiled. “You’re going to get tired of me. But yes, I’ll go get something to eat with you.”

“I doubt that.” She said softly while pulling her into a loose hug. “I hadn’t realized how short you were until right now.”

“We all can’t be freakishly tall.” Blake mumbled, her arms snaking around Yang’s waist. Looking up at her, she looked at the collection of freckles that were across her nose. “Would you like for me to pick you up on Thursday?”

“Sure. How about at my apartment? That way I can go home and change.”

“That works for me.” she said with a smile. Blake’s ear twitched and when she looked behind Yang she could see Weiss was tapping her foot and glaring at Yang’s back. “You should probably take her majesty home before she has a royal melt down.”

“Ha, ha.”

“Blake is right though, it’s getting late.” Ruby commented.

Another round of goodbyes was said, and Blake watched for a moment before going back upstairs. Retreating to her room, she changed out of her outfit and put on a different pair of underwear and grabbed her Yang shirt that was still in her laundry basket with the rest of the clean clothes she still hadn’t put away yet.

She was standing in front of her mirror wiping off her make-up when she heard the familiar creaking of the stairs. A knock was heard a few seconds later and she made her way cautiously to the front door, her ears twitching. Looking through the peephole, she saw the girls standing outside.

“Hey, what are you guys doing?” Blake asked once she opened the door wide to let them all in.

“The limo driver left.” Ruby answered while helping Yang with Weiss.

“He is so going to get an ear full tomorrow when I wake up.” Weiss said angrily. “He was supposed to take us home first before leaving!”

“It’s fine, Weiss. You can stay here.” Looking at both Ruby and Yang, Blake added. “All of you can. You can sleep either in Sun’s room or in the living room.”

“I’m sleeping in your room, Blake.” Weiss answered while pulling herself away from her girlfriend. “I don’t care what you say, Yang.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Yang mumbled while her face grew red. “Me and Ruby can sleep in Sun’s room then.”

“I’ll get you all something to sleep in.” Blake volunteered. “Go ahead and make yourselves at home. The bathroom is down the hall to your right if you need to go. I think we might have some spare toothbrushes as well.”

Going back to her bedroom, the cat Faunus began looking through her drawers to try and find some clothes that would fit both Ruby and Yang. Weiss had followed her into the room and had already pulled a shirt out and began to strip down to her underwear before slipping the shirt on over. Blake was able to find some larger shorts and a shirt for Yang to wear and also an old pajama set that seemed like it would fit Ruby. Caring the clothes back to the living room, she saw that Yang had taken off her shoes and was currently looking at some pictures that were on the wall. The one she was looking at was of her and Weiss at a beach in Menagerie. It was taken a few months after her and Adam had gotten together; it was also the last time Weiss ever went to Menagerie with her.

“Where was this taken?” Yang asked once Blake got closer.

“Menagerie; Weiss went with us during our summer vacation.”

“The beaches there look nice.”

“They are; I miss it.”

Yang looked down at her. “Why didn’t you go back with your parents? Not that I’m complaining that you’re here.”

Blake let out a giggle. “It was too sudden for me to just leave. I didn’t want to leave Sun and Neptune struggling to find a replacement for me. I think I might go back during the winter; I hate the snow.”

“I love the cold.” Yang said with a smile.

“I hate it.”

Yang laughed. “I can imagine so if you grew up on a tropical island. Maybe one day I can go with you to Menagerie.”

Blake smiled. “I’d like that.” They stared at each other for a moment before Blake cleared her throat. “Here’s some clothes for you and Ruby. They should fit you alright; if not I can always get something of Sun’s.”

“This should be fine, sweetheart. Thanks.”

After handing the clothes to Yang, Blake showed her to Sun’s room and told her that she could change in there. She shut the door behind her and went to knock on the closed bathroom door; Ruby opened it a few minutes later and Blake handed the extra clothes to her as well before going back to her room. Weiss was sitting at the edge of the bed with a brush in her hand as well as a hair tie. Sitting behind her, Blake began to brush out all the tangles and went to work on braiding the long ivory tresses. Once she was done, she tied off the ends and gave Weiss an affectionate pat on the back before climbing off the bed and brushing out her own hair.

The bathroom door opened, and Ruby came and poked her head in. “Thanks for letting us stay here, Blake.”

“It’s no problem.” She said with a smile. “Do you need anything else?”

“No, I’m fine.” Ruby looked at Weiss. “Are you sure you don’t want to sleep in the room with me? I could sure use my cuddle buddy.”

“Now that you mention it…” Weiss let her sentence trail off of she stood up from Blake’s bed and stumbled towards Ruby. “Blake and Yang can always sleep together. Goodnight, kitty cat.”

Blake rolled her eyes. “Goodnight, ice queen. Goodnight, Ruby.”

“Goodnight, Blake! I’ll be sure to send Yang over here instead.”

She didn’t comment on what Ruby just said. Instead, she kept brushing out her hair, trying to keep her heart under control; Yang didn’t have to sleep in here with her. She could easily go and sleep on the couch. Or, Blake could even go and sleep on the couch so she wouldn’t be rude. The door opening and closing softly had Blake’s ears twitching; soft footsteps made their way towards her bedroom door and when she looked in the mirror, she could see Yang standing outside her room.

“Hey…you know, I don’t have to sleep in here with you if you don’t want me to. I can always sleep on the couch instead.”

Blake inhaled deeply before turning around to face Yang. Seeing her standing in some of her clothes, obviously nervous about the predicament they were both in, had Blake moving to stand right in front of her. Looking up into her lilac eyes, she grabbed both of Yang’s hands that had been clutching the material of the shirt she was wearing.

“You can sleep in here with me, Yang. You just have to answer one question first.”

“What’s that?”

“Do you snore?”

“Um…sometimes, yes.”

“Hmm…I suppose I can deal with it for one night.” She pulled Yang into her room, closing the door partially. She let go of Yang’s hands and went back to her dresser so she could put her hair in a low ponytail. “I like to sleep on the left side, by the way.”

“Gotcha.” Yang replied with a laugh. Walking over to the right side, she pulled the blankets back and sat down. The blonde looked at the dark-haired girl once more. “Are you sure you’re alright with this?”

Instead of answering, Blake simply went to the light switch and flicked it off. Even in the dark, she could see how beautiful Yang was. She walked over towards her bed and pulled the blankets down on her side and sat down. Finding Yang’s hand in the dark, she tugged her gently and watched as Yang went and laid down on her side, facing Blake.

“I guess that answers my question.”

“I figured it would be better to answer that way.” Laying down herself, Blake watched as Yang became comfortable. “Kind of late to be asking this, but did you need anything?”

“No, I’m fine. Although, I also have a question for you.”

“What is it?”

“Can you see in the dark?”

“Yes.”

“I thought so; your eyes are glowing.”

Blake looked away from her then, suddenly feeling embarrassed; she hoped that Yang didn’t think it was off putting that she could see her so clearly. She felt Yang grab her hand in the dark and when she looked back at her, she was smiling.

“We should probably get some sleep.” Blake whispered as she went to lay down on her back, her hand still holding onto Yang’s.

“We should.” Yang intertwined their fingers together and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Goodnight, Blake.”

“Goodnight, Yang.”

Not even that long later, she heard the steady breathing from Yang and the grip on her hand loosened a little. Glancing over, she saw that Yang was fast asleep and her mouth was partially opened. Blake wasn’t sure how long she stared, but she just couldn’t tear her eyes away from the girl who was asleep next to her. She felt so warm laying next to her; at peace. Letting out a long exhale, Blake could feel herself beginning to relax, even though a few minutes later Yang let out a snore. She had to stifle a laugh as she squeezed Yang’s hand, causing the girl next to her to stop momentarily before letting out another one.

Closing her eyes, Blake let out another exhale, this time a familiar rumble escaped her, and she had to cover her mouth with her other hand to muffle the noise. Her eyes grew heavier and as sleep began to claim her, there was no way to try and stop the rumbling that was increasing in volume. She turned onto her side, moving a little closer to Yang before sleep finally claimed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not mean to leave you guys waiting a whole month, I promise! But life is weird that way.
> 
> For those of you who don't have me on twitter, I'm going to RTX this year after all! I bought my ticket this passed week and I'm super excited! It'll be my first year going.
> 
> While I was getting ready to publish this, I read that my favorite author, Mary Higgins Clark, passed away earlier today. I don't know if anyone has ever read her work before, but I'm just so sad about it. So, as corny as this may seem, this chapter is dedicated to her. Thanks for giving me sixteen years worth of books.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Also, RWBY season finale tomorrow! I'm not ready!!
> 
> Twitter: @VioletSkye413


	14. Chapter Fourteen

The first thing Blake noticed when she woke up the next morning was that she was unusually warm. Did the air conditioner turn off last night on accident? Or did she simply have too many blankets covering her? She shifted slightly and when the unfamiliar lump of something next to her moved too, Blake suddenly remembered; Yang was asleep in her bed.

She turned her head to the side and saw the peaceful sleeping face of Yang. At some point last night, Blake had moved over completely and was now being held in the arms of the blonde woman next to her. Yang’s leg was lazily thrown over Blake’s upper thighs and her arm was resting on her stomach; her other arm was tucked underneath Blake’s pillow. Turning slowly onto her side, Blake nestled into the warmth and closed her eyes; waking up this early happened sometimes after she would go out and have a few drinks and it really sucked. But today, she was happy that she was able to have this moment to herself.

The rumbling from last night came back and this time, she didn’t try and stop it. Blake honestly couldn’t remember the last time she felt this comfortable. She drifted back to sleep.

The sleep was short lived when she heard an alarm going off. She opened one eye and saw that Yang was still asleep; the noise wasn’t coming from her room so it must be coming from Sun’s room where Ruby and Weiss were sleeping. There was a low groan before the alarm was shut off. Blake waited a few more minutes but there was no other sound coming from the other room; it was probably Weiss’ alarm and Ruby turned it off. How come that never worked when Blake did it? Weiss would already be up and having a fit because she turned it off. Blake smiled and rolled her eyes; oh, to be in love.

Glancing up at Yang, she felt her heart speed up again. It was way too soon for that word, but she couldn’t deny she was feeling something close to it. As much as she wanted to stay laying down, her bladder was beginning to demand attention, so as carefully as she could, she disentangled herself from Yang and quietly got out of bed and made her way towards the bathroom. Once she was done, she wondered into the kitchen and yawned. It would be nice for them to have breakfast going; she wasn’t entirely sure what time everyone was going to wake up, but she knew for a fact that Weiss wouldn’t be able to sleep for much longer. That girl was used to waking up early even if she had been drinking heavily the night before.

She went to the coffee pot and got it ready to brew before reaching for the kettle and filling it up with water. Blake wasn’t too sure on what Ruby and Yang would drink, but she would have both coffee and tea just in case. Once she had all of that set up, she went through the fridge and pulled out a tube of biscuits. There were eggs and bacon still so she figured that would be a good enough breakfast for all of them. She set to work immediately on getting everything ready.

Twenty minutes later, the biscuits were in the oven and the bacon was sizzling on the stove. The eggs would be made last once everyone was awake; Blake wanted to make sure that everyone got their eggs cooked the way they liked them. She could hear some movement coming from Sun’s bedroom, but there were still no sounds of footsteps. It was barely seven thirty in the morning, so she figured they might be asleep longer. But Weiss was a morning person, and she had figured that so was Yang; Ruby she wasn’t sure.

Her ears twitched as she heard the familiar sound of her bedroom door opening; Yang was obviously awake. She could hear the soft padding of her feet across the hardwood floor and once the blonde was close enough, she went and wrapped her arms around Blake.

“Good morning, beautiful.” Yang said sleepily.

“Good morning to you as well, gorgeous.” Blake said amused. Yang let out a little noise of contentment before burying her face in Blake’s hair. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“How do you want your eggs?”

“That’s an egg-cellent question.” Yang joked; Blake groaned. “Over easy is fine.”

“I’m debating on whether or not I want to make you anything now because of that joke.”

“Aw, I thought you liked my jokes.”

“I do, but that was just bad.”

Yang laughed and hugged her again before letting go. Blake listened as she made her way towards the bathroom before turning her attention back to the bacon that was cooking. It was just about done, so she got a plate out and placed a paper towel on the bottom so the grease would catch. Pulling out another pan, she began to get ready to make Yang’s eggs. A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and she heard Yang sit down in a chair at the table. She still hadn’t turned around to look at her, and she could feel her eyes on her.

“Did I snore last night?” Yang asked.

“Yes, but it wasn’t so bad.” Blake answered honestly. “I actually thought it was kind of cute.”

Yang laughed. “I’ve never heard my snore be called cute before. Annoying, yes. Cute, no.”

“Well, I liked it.” She finished up Yang’s eggs and set them on a plate before she finally turned around to look at her. Yang had her hair pulled up into a ponytail and she had make-up smudged under her eyes. The clothes Blake let her borrow fit her perfectly, surprisingly enough, and the same feeling from last night came back. What was it about someone you like wearing your clothes? She set her plate down in front of her and Yang reached out and lightly touched her fingers with her own. Blake visibly swallowed before speaking again. “The biscuits are almost done.”

“Thank you.” Yang said with a smile.

Blake returned the smile before retrieving to get her a fork to use. She grabbed the bacon and set both things on the table before turning her attention back to the oven where it had just beeped, signaling that whatever was inside was done. Once she was finished pulling out the biscuits, she put them on a plate as well and set them down on the table.

“You can eat, you know.”

“I know, I was just waiting for you. And for the biscuits.”

Blake laughed. “I’m not going to be eating for a while, so you can eat without me. What would you like to drink?”

“Oh, any particular reason?” Yang asked curiously. “I’ll have coffee, please.”

While Blake went to retrieve a mug from the cabinet, she answered Yang’s question. “I normally don’t eat first thing when I wake up. I like to have a cup of tea first before deciding what I want. Do you want creamer and sugar?”

“I see.” Yang commented. She watched as Blake filled a mug for her, a smile on her lips. “Actually, I drink my coffee black with sugar.”

Blake made a face. “I shall go retrieve sugar for your bean water.”

That got the blonde to laugh loudly. “Bean water? I take it you aren’t a fan of coffee.”

“I prefer tea. I used to only drink coffee when I needed something stronger, but I’ve always hated the after taste.”

Yang nodded her head. “I like tea, but it isn’t strong enough. I’d need like five cups just to get me through the day.”

“There’s nothing wrong with five cups of tea.” Blake grinned while setting the sugar down in front of Yang.

“Maybe not to you, but I think I’ll stick to my bean water.” Yang smiled while adding some sugar before taking a sip.

Blake playfully rolled her eyes but didn’t respond. She could hear movement coming from Sun’s room and heard a low groan. Hearing the door open, she looked to see Weiss coming out from the bedroom and she went straight to the bathroom. Ruby was quick to follow, a yawn making its way through her.

“Morning.” She said sleepily as she went to sit down at the table.

“Good morning, Ruby!” Yang said cheerfully while eating a bite of her egg. “This is really good, Blake.”

“Thank you.” She gave Yang a warm smile before turning to Ruby. “Would you like some eggs? If yes how would you like them cooked?”

“Yes please! And scrambled is fine.”

As Blake set to work on making Ruby’s eggs, Weiss came out of the bathroom and went straight for the coffee pot where she poured herself a cup. She mumbled out a “good morning” to Blake before grabbing a biscuit from the tray and began to eat it. Blake knew she was hungover; the heiress never ate standing up. Deciding that she’d eat some scrambled eggs as well, she cracked enough for her, Ruby, and Weiss on the off chance she decided to eat. Once they were done, she put some on a plate for Ruby and set it in front of her before serving herself. Standing next to Weiss, she ate in silence.

“Are you…not going to sit?” Yang asked suddenly.

She looked at both Ruby and Yang and shook her head no. “I feel like standing.” Blake answered before giving a smile and continuing with her eggs.

They were all quiet for a few minutes before Ruby and Yang began to talk to each other. They were both going on about Yang’s upcoming match and how she was going to kick some serious ass. Blake only smiled as the sisters went back and forth about what moves Yang should use against Emerald. Weiss was still sipping on her coffee and nibbling on the biscuit that was in her hand. She nudged her softly and when Weiss looked at her, Blake could see the make-up that was smeared under her eyes; looks like her and Yang were matching racoons. She let out a small laugh and went back to eating her eggs, ignoring the curious looks of the other three girls in the room. Once she was done eating, she put her plate in the sink and began to tidy up the mess that she had made.

Weiss let out a loud yawn and when Blake turned to look at her, she was setting down her coffee mug and turned to look at her. “I’m going to change. And steal one of your make-up wipes.”

“You know where everything is.” Was Blake’s response as she set Weiss’ cup into the sink to be washed later. “I can get you a make-up wipe too if you want, Yang.”

Taking another bite of her eggs, Yang nodded her head. “Sounds good, thanks.”

The bathroom door closed a few minutes later and Blake left the kitchen to retrieve the face wipes from her bedroom. Hearing the sound of a chair moving back and the clatter of dishes, Blake shrugged her shoulders and went to pick up her clothes that she had left of the floor. Approaching footsteps had her stopping and turning towards the door where she saw Yang standing in her doorway.

“I guess I can’t sneak up on you, huh?” she asked amusingly.

“I’m afraid not.” Blake said with a smile. “Oh, here are the face wipes.”

“Thanks.” She walked across the room and took them from Blake’s hand but didn’t move away. “I actually came over here to tell you that me and Ruby have to leave soon. I still have a lot of things to do because of the match coming up.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah…sorry that we have to eat and run. But since we hadn’t planned on staying the night it kind of set a few things back. Not that it’s your fault! I’m happy that we did stay. I got to find out that you’re super cuddly when you sleep.”

Blake rolled her eyes; did this mean that she heard her purring? “It’s alright; I understand. But if you have to leave now then that’s alright. I don’t know if you want to leave wearing the dress that you were wearing last night.”

Yang rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah I didn’t think about that…”

“You can just keep what you’re wearing.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, that way I know you’ll come back so you can return it.”

She gave her a smile and reached out her other hand to gently grab onto Blake’s waist before pulling her closer. “You’re very sneaky.”

“I wouldn’t say sneaky.” Blake replied while resting her hand on Yang’s upper arm. “I’m just thinking ahead.”

“You know, I’m thinking ahead too.”

“Are you?”

“Yeah…to our late dinner that we’re going to have and to you coming to my title match. Also, whenever we all decide to go on our double date. Even just thinking ahead to whenever we get to just hang out and not do anything.” Pausing for a moment, Yang looked at her and grinned. “I wouldn’t even mind taking you to a bookstore and watching you browse for hours.”

“That sounds wonderful.” She said smiling up at her. “I’m sure you’d get bored though; I can literally spend hours looking at books.”

Yang shrugged. “I’m sure I’d be alright since I’m going to be with you.”

“You say that now until we actually get there, and you want to leave.” Blake laughed.

“Only one way to find out, sweetheart.” Yang brushed a strand of hair from her face. She sighed heavily. “I really wish I didn’t have to leave, but I should start getting ready to go. Uncle Qrow is gonna come pick us up.”

“We’ll see each other soon.” Blake reassured. “Thursday will get here before you know it.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Blake moved forward and gave her a hug, letting the warmth of the girl in front of her give her comfort. The feeling increased when Yang wrapped her arms around her. She didn’t want the moment to end but it did when Ruby came knocking on the door, saying that Qrow had just got there and was already threatening to make Yang run ten laps. She rolled her eyes but didn’t pull away; Yang let Ruby know that she’d be down in a little while and with that the brunette left to do whatever it was she needed.

The cat Faunus was the first to pull away, much to the disappointment of the blonde woman in front of her. “I’d rather you not run ten laps; that sounds exhausting.”

“He won’t actually make me do it.” Yang said with a laugh. She got quiet as she thought about it. “You know, I’d rather not chance it on the off chance he does.”

Blake let out a laugh and watched as Yang grabbed a make-up wipe from the package and quickly cleaned underneath her eyes and across her eyelids. Her dress was still in Sun’s room, so she left momentarily to make sure that she didn’t forget it. Leaving her room, Blake went into the living room where she immediately stopped; Ruby and Weiss were having a tender moment and she didn’t want to ruin it by them finding out she was there. She backed out slowly and went to wait in the hallway where Yang was just making her way out of Sun’s room. Before Yang could say anything, Blake held her finger up to her lips.

“Ruby and Weiss are having a moment.” She whispered. “I don’t want to interrupt.”

Yang nodded her head before she smiled slowly. “We should have a moment too.”

“I thought we were.” Blake whispered while moving closer. She gently took hold of her waist and pulled her closer to her; Yang swallowed. “Is this not enough?”

“Of course, it is.” Yang whispered back. “Anything we do is enough for me.”

Blake smiled up at her and pulled her all the way to her body in a tender hug. Yang didn’t hesitate as she wrapped her arms around her and buried her face into her hair. They stayed like that only a few minutes before Ruby yelled that Qrow had text her saying to hurry up and get downstairs before he came up here to get her.

Yang flinched at that and let Blake know that he really would come up here and get her and that would be super embarrassing. The cat Faunus laughed and removed herself from the embrace; she automatically felt cold without the other woman pressed against her. She walked both of them to the front door and waved goodbye as both sisters descended the stairs. When they made it to the bottom, Yang turned around and blew a kiss at her; Blake blew one back and watched Yang’s smile grow wider and her face turn redder.

Walking back inside, she saw Weiss sitting down on the couch with her coffee mug in her hand just staring at her. “You have it so bad. I’ve never seen you act like this before. Ever. Not even with that asshole.”

“I like the way I feel with her.” Blake started while going to sit with Weiss on the couch. Leaning back, she closed her eyes. “Not once has she tried to pressure me into doing something that I didn’t want to do. Yesterday when we were standing together, whenever I would shift a little she would loosen her grip, just in case I wanted to leave. He would have never done that; he would have pulled me closer to him or asked me why I was fidgeting so much. Not once has she made me feel uncomfortable or anything like that.” She turned and looked at Weiss who was staring at her. “So yeah, I really like her.”

Weiss gave her a smile and leaned back on the couch with her. “It’s nice to see you like this. I wish I would have brought her around sooner.”

“No…I like how she came into my life. I don’t think it would have been good for either of us if she came any sooner; I was too broken and fragile. I would have ignored her.”

“You’re probably right.” Weiss agreed. “But maybe she would have been good for you then too.”

“Maybe she’ll be good for me now. I’m happy that she’s here. Ruby, too; I really like her.”

Weiss began to blush. “I like her too.”

“I would think so since she’s your girlfriend.” Blake said with a laugh. Checking the time, she stood up. “I’m going to go back to sleep since I have work tonight. Are you staying here, or did you already call your driver?”

“No, I called my driver. I have things I need to do before tomorrow.” Her scroll dinged and when she looked to see who it was, she stood up from the couch. “That’s actually him. I’ll text you whenever.”

They both hugged before Blake let her out of the apartment; she was wearing her outfit from the previous night but now her hair was back up in its usual ponytail. There was no way Weiss Schnee would walk out of her apartment wearing a pair of loose pants and a t-shirt. Closing the door, Blake walked slowly back to her bedroom; she wasn’t looking forward to washing whatever dishes that had been left in the sink, but that would be something to worry about whenever she woke up.

Getting back into bed, she turned towards the other side of the bed where Yang had just been asleep. Reaching out, she grabbed the pillow she had used and held it to her; she could still smell Yang’s scent on the pillow, and she began to smile. Pressing it closer to her, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

~*~*~*~

The week before the weigh in went by surprisingly fast. Sun had the next night off so Blake hadn’t been able to give him his gift until Friday; once she did, he laughed at the shirt she had gotten him (a pink shirt with cat banana’s on it) before putting it on and wearing it that night. He got loads of compliments and each time he did, Blake covered her face with her hand. It was meant to be a joke, but she should have figured he’d wear it with pride.

The next few days after were slow and boring; Yang was too busy with practice and promo work that she hadn’t been able to see her; only in text messages and the occasional calls. More pictures were sent as well, including a picture of Yang looking absolutely bored at a meeting; so bored in fact that in the picture she had her finger in her nose. Blake had burst out laughing at that one and surprised both Sun and Neptune. When she tried to explain why she was laughing, she just kept laughing more. Deciding not to show them the picture, she went to her room where she took a picture of her laughing and sent it to Yang as a reply.

**Yang:** _LOL glad to see you find me amusing. Aren’t you happy that you picked me?_

**Me:** _Not anymore. I think I might just flick you out of my life._

**Yang:** _That was a good one. Uncle Qrow is glaring at me so I’ll text you later :)_

Blake only rolled her eyes as she set her scroll down. Every time she talked to her, she felt more of a connection; a connection that she desperately wanted to deepen whenever she saw a picture of her on her scroll or even on the television. Promotional posters were all over the walls at the bar and most of them had only Yang on them. Sun was going around and telling some of the regulars that he, Neptune, and Blake got invited to the title match so they wouldn’t be here that night, but that they would definitely be showing the match. Sun was so excited that Blake just let him tell everyone who would listen; even Neptune would smile about it but whenever they would share a look, they would roll their eyes before returning to work.

The day before the weigh in, Blake was about to let Sun know that she needed the night off when her scroll began to ring. Looking down and seeing it was Yang, she smiled and answered.

“Hello?”

_“Hey, Blake! What are you up to?”_

“I was right about to go and ask Sun for tomorrow night off. What about you?”

_“Oh, yeah um…that’s actually why I was going to call. I have to cancel for tomorrow night. I’m really sorry that it’s so last minute! But since me and Emerald are going to be the last two that have the weigh in, it’s going to be really late and I have to make sure I get enough rest before the next day. I’m really sorry, Blake.”_

“Oh, that’s okay.” Blake was trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. “But I understand on why you’re canceling, so don’t feel bad.”

_“I actually want to make it up to you though! How about we go Friday night instead? I’m always starving after a match so we can go eat somewhere then?”_

“That sounds great. I’d really enjoy that.” Blake answered with a smile.

_“Awesome! Alright so just leave it all up to me and I’ll plan our night and it’ll be fun! I’ll give you a pass tomorrow and you can just meet me in my changing room once the match it over; is that okay?”_

“Yes, that’s fine.”

_“Perfect! Okay I gotta go but I’ll see you Friday night! Bye sweetheart.”_

“Bye, Yang.”

Placing her scroll in her back pocket, she let out a small sigh and turned away from the office. No point in asking for the night off now. So instead, she continued to her room to get ready for the evening.

The night passed by in a blur and the next day was pretty much the same. As the weigh in was now upon them, they had all the televisions in the bar set to the right channel and people were standing around and watching. Most of them had shirts with Yang on them while others had different people. Everyone who worked at the bar was showing Yang their support; Blake was wearing her own shirt with a pair of shorts and fishnet stockings with heeled boots completing her outfit. Tomorrow she was going to wear the same shirt, just with pants instead.

Blake was still familiar with how the weigh ins worked so she wasn’t paying much attention to the TV at the moment; it would be awhile before Yang even was shown. She was currently leaning against the back of the bar with a book in her hand, only glancing up every so often to make sure that no one needed her attention. The few people that did come up, Sun was already there and asking for their order. After he was done with his current drink order, he went to stand next to her.

“Are you excited?”

“About the weigh in?” he nodded. “I suppose. It’s not that exciting.”

“Not that exciting? If one of them doesn’t meet the weight requirement they get fined and lose some of their purse! It’s super important! What if Yang doesn’t meet her weight?”

Blake rolled her eyes. “Believe me, she will. She’s always working out and watching what she eats.”

“I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.” He playfully hit her with her tail, and she tried not to let her cheeks get to red, which was pointless. “You’re going with her after, right?”

“Not after all. She said she had to go home right after and get rest, which makes sense. We’re going to go out tomorrow after her fight instead. She had text me earlier saying she was excited because she would be able to eat anything she wanted.”

“Anything huh?” Sun said with a sly smile.

“Ugh go away!” Blake exclaimed while pushing him away from her. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it!”

All Sun did was laugh before walking off and going to wipe up a spill he had previously made. Blake tried really hard to be upset about his comment, but she had long ago stopped lying to herself about her growing feelings about Yang. Of course, she had thought about her in that way before. It was hard not to with all the pictures she would send her, especially the more risqué ones. Seeing her in that dress for Sun’s birthday had definitely had her feeling a certain way and she was definitely looking forward to the day when she could really explore all the curves the blonde had to offer.

Shaking her head, she began to read again. She managed to make it through a whole chapter before her attention was required by someone wanting a drink. They had brought back the Dragon Sunrise drink and it was the most requested drink of the night; Sun insisted that she be the one to make them since Yang had already previously stated that she made the most “purr-fect” ones. Blake had rolled her eyes but did as he asked. At the rate they were going, they were more than likely going to use up half of the bottles they had ordered. Once she was done, she pulled out her scroll and noticed she had a text from Yang.

**Yang:** _I hate waiting._

Blake let out a little laugh. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard as she thought of what to say. Getting an idea, she asked Sun to cover her for a bit so she could go use the bathroom. Once she got his approval, she rushed to the bathroom in the back and closed the door.

**Me:** _Would a picture make you feel better?_

Yang’s reply was quick.

**Yang:** _I think it just might help._

Opening her camera app, she flipped the camera out to face the other way. On the back of the door was a full-length mirror that up until today she had only used to make sure her outfit looked okay. Her stance was casual; she put her hand in her front pocket and looked at the camera through the mirror. She took the picture and when she went to review it, she decided she looked good enough. Her hair that she had halfway up still looked decent despite the sudden rush they had gotten earlier, and her make-up was still in good condition. Blake hadn’t even noticed that she was smiling until just now. I like it, she thought as she sent it to Yang; the caption being a yellow heart emoji.

This time, Yang’s reply came a little slow. Blake was getting ready to leave the bathroom when she heard her scroll going off. Reading Yang’s reply, she smiled.

**Yang:** _Have I mentioned how incredibly sexy you are? Because I don’t think I have but after seeing that picture I think I need to tell you more often._

**Yang:** _You look absolutely stunning._

**Yang:** _And now I have to wait a whole day to see you. >:(_

Blake laughed at her last message but didn’t get a chance to reply when she heard Sun yelling that he needed an extra pair of hands. She slid her scroll into her back pocket and went to go see what Sun needed.

They had a small rush that lasted fifteen minutes and when it finally died down, Blake leaned against the back wall and let out a small exhale. She still hadn’t been able to reply to Yang, but she was hoping that now she’d be able to before the next rush. When she pulled out her scroll she had two more messages from Yang.

**Yang:** _I’m still bored._

Her next message was a picture of Yang standing in the bathroom at the event center. She was wearing form fitting blue jeans that hugged all her curves perfectly. She was wearing a black shirt with “YXL” written in white surrounded by a yellow dragon. Her hair was loose and styled perfectly and she had the most bored expression on her face, but you could see the hint of a smile in her eyes. Blake visibly swallowed; how had she landed someone this attractive?

**Me:** _Sorry, we got slammed a moment ago and I’m barely able to text back now._

**Me:** _But have I told you how sexy you are? Because I’m seriously wondering how I managed to catch your attention._

Once she hit send, she looked around the bar, almost expecting someone to shout out that they knew what Blake had sent Yang. She wasn’t really expecting a reply since it was getting later and soon Yang would be going out and having a short press conference before doing her weigh in and having the stare down with Emerald. But still…a reply would be nice. Checking her the time on the wall, she only had about two hours until her break. She sighed and got back to work.

Blake planned her break perfectly. By the time it was Yang’s turn to answer her press questions, she was sitting upstairs in the living room snacking on some mango that she had cut up earlier. Emerald had already done her press conference so once Yang was done with her weigh in, they would do their stare down and that would be it. As much as she was disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to see Yang tonight, she was eager and happy that they would be going out tomorrow. Not to mention, the match itself. She had already checked the lineup and there were two Faunus matches happening, but none of the Faunus involved had close ties to Adam, so he would more than likely not be there. The only person she was bound to run into would be Sienna, but Blake wasn’t worried about her.

Focusing back on the TV, she watched as Yang, Tai, and Qrow all went to sit down. Right in front of her, Yang had a can of energy drink called Aura; it must have been her main sponsor. Once they were comfortable, questions started being asked left and right. Blake could see the passion in her eyes as she answered.

_“What’s your favorite move to use in a fight?”_

_“I really enjoy using a rear naked choke. It’s the most effective, especially if you do it the right way and it’s almost guaranteed to work each time.”_

_“If you could have one fight with anyone – male or female, retired or not – who would it be?”_

_“Oh man.” Yang laughed. “I would have to say Ghira “The Beast” Belladonna. I know I would probably get my butt handed to me, but just to witness firsthand his moves in action would be really amazing.”_

Blake rolled her eyes at the answer. That match could definitely be arranged whenever Ghira came back from Menagerie; Blake wondered briefly if he’d do it.

_“What can you tell us about your fighting style for tomorrow night? Are you planning on going all in or matching with your opponent?”_

_“I plan to keep it straight forward and to the point. No holding back.”_

_“Emerald Sustrai stated earlier that she was going to steal your title once and for all; any comment on that?”_

_“I’ll let my fighting do the talking for me tomorrow and when I retain my title you’ll have your answer.”_

_“Is it true you’re currently dating someone?”_

Blake’s ears twitched as the question was asked. Her father is the one who answered.

_“Miss. Xiao Long is only answering questions pertaining to the match at this time.”_

Another question.

_“You were spotted leaving a night club last week and have also been seen leaving a local dive bar; is your drinking becoming a problem?”_

_Qrow answered. “Hey, what part of Tai’s answer did you not understand? No personal questions.”_

_“So, there is no one special in your life?”_

_“Listen –”_

_“It’s okay Qrow, I’ve got it.” Yang finally spoke. She looked at the reporter who had asked. “To respect the privacy of all involved, I will not be answering any questions on whether or not I’m dating. As for the club and bar, I was celebrating a friend’s birthday and visiting a friend at the bar. That’s all I am going to say on any of the subjects asked.”_

The man who asked didn’t say anything again. Blake felt herself smiling; she wasn’t quite ready to be the center of attention. It had been like that for a while when her and Adam had been together, even after the breakup. No one knew the exact circumstances; all they knew was that Blake left and Adam was “heartbroken” because of it. Now’s not the time, Blake scowled herself. By the time she focused back, Yang had finished answering her questions and was standing up and making her way to the scale. She slipped off her shoes and stood on top of it. A few seconds passed and when the scale read the weight she was supposed to be at, she gave a thumbs up and a wink. There were cheers all around as Yang stepped down and put her shoes back on. It was finally the moment everyone had been waiting for, the stare down.

Checking the time, Blake cursed as she realized she was going to be late. She shut off the TV before hurrying down to the bar; thankfully they hadn’t started.

“Dude you missed it! Emerald had to basically strip naked to make her weight. Cinder was pissed off.” Sun explained as she went to stand next to him at the counter.

Blake rolled her eyes. “Too bad she made it. I would have loved to see her fined.”

Sun laughed. “Still bitter, huh?”

“Not really. I just hate that she’s a dirty fighter. I honestly have no idea how she’s even able to compete still.”

“She obviously has connections.”

Blake didn’t answer. Yang and Emerald were now facing each other. They both put up their fists and stared right at each other. Emerald looked pissed, but Yang? She was smirking the whole time, no doubt trying to annoy the woman in front of her. It worked; Emerald’s scowl only deepened causing Yang to laugh. That is what set Emerald off; she went to lunge at her, but security moved in fast, pushing them both out of the way. Yang had both of her hands up to show that she was fine, but they kept their hold on Emerald who was struggling to get loose.

After they escorted her out, Yang looked back at the camera and winked and punched her fists together before leaving herself. Most of the bar was cheering for Yang but there were a few who were booing her instead. Sun looked at her but all she did was shrug her shoulders; not everyone liked Yang and it was something that was bound to happen. Her scroll began to vibrate and when she pulled it out of her pocket she smiled.

“Hello?”

_“Hey sweetheart! How are you?”_

“I’m doing well. How about you?”

_“I’m fantastic!” _she answered with a laugh. _“Did you see the stare down?”_

“Yes, I did. I thought she was going to hit you.”

She sighed. _“I wish she would have. But there will be plenty of hitting tomorrow! I’m so excited!”_

Blake laughed. “I’m sure you are.” Seeing Sun waving at her, she let out a sigh of her own. “Sorry babe but I’m at work. I’ll have to talk to you later.” There was silence on the other line. “Yang?”

_“Did you just call me babe?”_

Blake paused and mentally played back her words; she had. “Yes…sorry it just slipped out. I hope that’s okay…”

_“Oh, it is definitely okay! I like the way it sounds.”_

Blake couldn’t hide the smile that was on her face. “I really do need to go. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

_“Yup! I’m looking forward to it…babe.”_

“Oh, my gods.” Blake laughed. “Bye, Yang.”

_“Nope! You cannot hang up until you call me by my new name.”_

Blake laughed again. “Fine. Bye, babe.”

_“Bye, sweetheart.”_

Placing her scroll back in her pocket, she noticed Sun staring at her, smiling.

“Babe, huh?”

“Don’t start.”

“I thought you didn’t like corny nicknames like that.”

“You’re starting.”

“But with Yang it’s alright.”

“Seriously, stop.”

“I’m just saying…”

Blake sighed. “I know…it seriously just slipped out without me knowing. She loved it though; she sounded so happy about it.”

“Well, she should be happy; she has you.”

At the rate this night was going, Blake’s face was going to be sore from smiling so much. Honestly though, she didn’t mind; not one bit.

~*~*~*~

“Hurry up Blake! We’re going to be late!”

The cat Faunus exhaled roughly while standing up straight. She had just finished putting on her eye liner and still had to put on her lipstick and get her shoes. They weren’t really going to be late; Sun was just exaggerating. Even so, she quickly applied her lipstick and grabbed her purse as well as the boots she was going to wear. Shutting off the light and leaving her bedroom, Blake made her way to the living room where Sun was pacing back and forth, and Neptune was on his scroll.

“It took you long enough!”

“Yeah, don’t you know we missed all the fights already?” Neptune asked dryly.

Sun made a face at him that Neptune didn’t see.

“I need to put my shoes on, and we’ll be good to go. You do realize we’re going to be an hour early.”

“We still need to park and find our spots, Blake.”

“I think he’s more excited about seeing Yang’s match then you are.” Neptune commented again.

“You seem to be right, Nep.” Blake said with a smile. Leaning against the couch, she put her shoes on and once she was done, she stood up straight and looked at Sun who was standing by the front door with his arms crossed. “Ready?”

“I’ve been ready to go for the past hour! Now let’s go before we miss out on all the good parking!”

“I don’t know why you’re in such a rush; you do remember we’re taking separate cars, right?” Blake asked as she grabbed her own car keys.

“Yes, I remember.” Sun grabbed his own keys with his tail and ushered everyone outside.

“I’ll meet you guys there.” Blake said with a wave as she descended the stairs. As she got inside her vehicle and started the car, she began to feel a little nervous. This would be her first time going back to an event. Even though she knew Adam wouldn’t be there, it was still a little nerve racking.

Fifteen minutes later, she was pulling into the arena and, as predicted, parking was a nightmare. She finally managed to find something and once she did, she made her way towards the entrance where she waited for Sun and Neptune by a poster of Yang. Sun spotted her right away and all but ran up to her. He insisted on taking a picture of her by Yang’s picture and she rolled her eyes and posed as Yang was; with her fists pressed together and a smile on her face. After promising to send it to both her and Yang, he grabbed both Blake and Neptune by their wrists and dragged them towards the doors.

Finally making it inside, they slowly made their way through clusters of people. Neptune volunteered to get them a beer and let them know he’d meet them at their seats. Both Sun and Blake set off towards their assigned area and when they walked into the center of the arena, Blake let out a breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding.

It almost felt like coming back home. The familiarity of everything was such a welcoming feeling. She followed Sun down to their seats and just like Yang said, they were right behind where her dad and uncle would be. As well as the cameras.

“I forgot about the cameras.”

“Huh?”

“The cameras.” Blake repeated. “I forgot that they could see us at this angle too.”

Sun stopped and looked at her, concern already written on his face. “Will you be alright? I’m sure Yang will understand if we have to leave.”

“No, no I’ll be alright. I can’t do that to her after already saying multiple times that I would be here. I should be alright with the cameras and maybe you’ll only see bits and pieces of all three of us.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure. Now come on, let’s sit down and get comfortable. I brought a book to read while we wait.”

“You’re such a nerd.”

The waiting was definitely the hardest part. Neptune eventually made it with three beers and Blake said her thanks as she took a sip of the bitter liquid; it wasn’t her favorite choice of alcohol, but at the moment it was the least expensive. Blake read for most of the hour that they had to wait, only stopping when Weiss came to join them. The heiress informed them that Ruby would be sitting with Qrow and Tai. Blake was just happy that she had Weiss there to talk to.

An announcer came over the microphone and let the whole stadium know that the first match would begin in ten minutes. Sun began to jump excitedly in his seat and Neptune looked to be on the verge of joining him. Blake smiled and turned her attention back to her book; she wasn’t about to waste any of the ten minutes she had left.

The lights dimmed and then cut off, and an explosion of cheering was heard all around. Shutting her book, Blake winced at the loud noises and wished she had brought her bow with her to help muffle the sound. There would be five matches before Yang’s title fight and as excited as she was to see Yang’s match, she wasn’t looking forward to all the waiting. The first two boxers came walking out and went through inspection before entering the ring. The referee started the match and both men began to fight. Here we go, Blake thought as she watched. Let the waiting begin.

Blake wouldn’t pretend that the cheering of the crowd wasn’t contagious. She found herself cheering along with Sun and Neptune; even Weiss was clapping. As the matches progressed and Yang’s got closer, Blake could feel the nerves she had felt earlier come back. She wasn’t even entirely sure why she was nervous, but there wasn’t much she could do about it either.

It was finally time for the main event of the night. The lights turned off and not long after, Emerald’s opening song began to play. She walked out of the double doors that led backstage and stared straight ahead as she followed the path in front of her. To her right was her coach, Cinder Fall and to her left was her boyfriend, Mercury Black. There was a mixture of cheering and booing coming from the crowd but even so, Emerald pressed on and made it to inspection. None of them could see much since they were on the other side of the Octagon, but when Blake looked up at the TV screen, she could see that they were just about finished.

The lights once again went out and they all began to yell. Blake was expecting Yang’s usual song, but when she heard the unfamiliar sound of the song that was playing, she turned to Weiss and gave her a look.

“She wanted a new song for tonight!” Weiss explained quickly before going back to cheer for Yang.

Blake watched fascinated as Yang made her way towards her side of the ring. She was giving high fives to fans and smiling at everyone. She was wearing her usual robe and seeing it in person was definitely better. There was so much detail…her focus went back to Yang who had just arrived at inspection; she slipped off her robe and handed it over to Tai who was already waiting to retrieve it. Ruby was standing off to the side with Qrow and she turned around briefly to smile at all of them. Once Yang cleared inspection she first did her signature pose to the camera before turning around and looking directly at Blake. She gave her a wink before she stepped into the arena.

“She is so going to kick ass!” Sun yelled in his excitement.

Blake didn’t respond as she continued to watch. The announcer introduced both of them, and when he announced Yang, the arena erupted into loud cheer. She was pretty sure just the four of them on their own made a significant amount of noise. The official referee was then announced, and Blake watched as he had them both stand in the center of the ring, facing each other. He gave them his warning about a fair fight and said that if they wanted, they could bump fists. Yang held out her hands, but Emerald backed away; Yang shrugged and went back to her own corner. The referee asked if they were both ready and once they nodded, he yelled for them to start.

It was instant; as soon as he gave the okay, Emerald threw the first punch, and after that they both continued to punch until Yang backed her up into the fence. She began to knee her in her thighs, but Emerald kept a hold on her and landed a few knees to legs as well. Yang managed to punch her in the face a few times before Emerald finally broke free of her clench and landed a punch of her own. Blake winced as she heard the sound of Emerald’s glove hitting Yang in the face. Using her left fist, Yang hit Emerald back in her face and pushed away from her, but Emerald managed to throw a kick, barely missing the side of her face. Using the move to her advantage, Yang charged forward and landed another hit to her face, knocking her down in the process.

Sun and Neptune were cheering along with everyone else and Blake began to clap, her focus never leaving Yang as she followed her every move.

Yang tried to throw in a few punches, but she couldn’t get a clear shot. Instead, she kicked her again on her thighs before she was finally able to punch her twice in the face. Emerald grabbed onto her arm to try and move her closer, but Yang wasn’t having any of that. She managed to pick her up and tried to get her in an armbar, but Emerald was able to get out of it almost as quickly as she got into it. Seeing Yang lift Emerald up like nothing definitely had Blake feeling a certain way, but she decided to put that knowledge away for a later time. Honestly, she wasn’t going to think about it anymore.

Emerald finally managed to get off of the ground, but Yang was wide open for her and using this to her advantage, Emerald tackled her onto the mat. She stayed on top of her and tried to throw in a few punches that Yang was able to block until finally Emerald landed two to her face. Reaching out, Yang grabbed onto Emerald’s head and pulled her down to her own face before wrapping her legs around her and she began to pull her own legs, effectively trapping her between her thighs. She began to elbow the back of her head a few times as she tried to get in the position to get her in an armbar. Emerald realizing what was going on, managed to yet again break free from her clench and back away. During this time, Yang quickly got up from off of the floor, briefly turning her back against Emerald who simultaneously grabbed a hold of her. She got out of her hold but was immediately punched in the face.

Back and forth they both went, throwing left and right hooks. One of Emerald’s punches landed right in the middle of Yang’s face and Blake feared for a moment that she might be knocked out, but Yang was quick with a left hook of her own, the punch not seeming to phase her in the slightest.

Yang managed to get her in a headlock and used her body weight to pull her to the ground. Blake watched as Yang once again tried to get Emerald in the best position to pull her arm, but Emerald knew that this was what she wanted. They rolled on the floor, both of them throwing punches until Emerald was on top of Yang, throwing punches in her face. Yang managed to push her off with her legs and Emerald stood up, ready to deliver more blows. Doing a backwards roll, Yang pushed herself back up to her feet and put her hands up, getting ready to defend herself. As soon as she stood up, Emerald went to take her down, but Yang was ready for her. Twisting her body around, she flipped her onto the ground. They didn’t stay down long though; Emerald kicked her off and Yang took a step back as she waited for the other girl to get back up. Emerald hadn’t even stood fully up when Yang kicked at her, her foot hitting her on the right shoulder. More punches were thrown and then the bell rang, both of them separating.

They both returned to their own corners and Blake listened as her dad began to give her a pep talk while the medics cleaned away any blood that was on her.

“You’re doing great kid. Stay focused; you’ve got this. Keep your arms up and watch out for her right hook.” Yang nodded and he continued talking. “She’s going to get frustrated and that’s when she’s going to make mistakes. You’re doing great; let’s get back out there and win this.”

The referee cleared out everyone from the ring and when they stood back up, Emerald was in her corner smiling; Blake recognized that smile. It was signifying that shit was about to get real.

The ref asked if they were ready and when they both nodded, he signaled them to start. As soon as they were within striking distance, Yang threw out a punch and didn’t stop; she kept pushing her back until she hit the fence and began grappling with her. Pulling Emerald onto the floor, the rolled around for a while and Emerald tried to keep her from getting her in an armbar. It was all in vain though; Yang was able to get her exactly where she wanted her, and even though Emerald tried to keep away, tried to make sure that she wouldn’t get caught, Yang had her in the perfect position.

Emerald’s upper body was caught between Yang’s legs which she had crossed at the ankles. Grabbing onto her arm, Yang pulled her arm out, extending her legs at the same time, effectively getting her in a perfect armbar. Everyone began to cheer as Emerald tapped out and the ref separated the both of them. Yang got up and removed her mouth guard, letting out a shout of victory. Turning towards Emerald, she reached out her hand to help her up, but Emerald glared at her and got up on her own before moving towards her own corner where Cinder was waiting for her, an angry look upon her face.

During all this commotion, Blake watched as Tai, Qrow, and Ruby all jumped up and started yelling - Qrow yelling “fuck yeah!” at the top of his lungs. Yang went back to her side of the ring and gave her dad a smile and a thumbs up from behind the fence. Making eye contact with her, Yang winked at Blake before turning around and letting out a deep sigh. Tai, Ruby, and Qrow were making their way inside the Octagon and once they reached Yang, they all gave her a hug.

Blake was so proud of her. Sun and Neptune still hadn’t stopped yelling and she could hear Weiss clapping along with everyone else in the arena. Not long after, the ref had both Yang and Emerald in the center of the ring and the announcer began to speak.

“Ladies and gentlemen declaring the winner and still the undisputed UFC Woman’s Bantamweight champion of Remnant, YANG XIAO LONG!”

The arena broke out yet again into loud cheering as they placed the championship belt around Yang’s waist. She was smiling widely, and Blake could have sworn she saw tears in her eyes. Yang looked up then and began to wave at everyone. The announcer came over to Yang and began speaking once again.

“That was an amazing match, definitely one of your toughest matches to date, what are your thoughts about it?”

“Before I answer that, I just want to congratulate Emerald; she did a great job tonight and I know she gave it her all.” Yang said while panting, still out of breath. “But this match was definitely fun and I’m happy, of course, that I won.”

“I noticed that you reached out your hand to Emerald to help her up, but she ignored you, how do you handle all the bad blood between you?”

“I honestly don’t give it a second thought. I focus on me and my training and only worry about that whenever we step in the ring together.”

“Well, Yang, it was a wonderful fight, congratulations again on that magnificent victory and for still being the undefeated UFC champion. Do you want to say anything?”

“I just want to thank my dad, uncle, and sister for their continued support and training. I honestly don’t know what I would do without them. Thanks also to Weiss Schnee for the amazing new song. Also, shoutout to my friends from Sea Monkeys for being amazing and a special shoutout to my favorite bartender; you know who you are!” she made direct eye contact with Blake and gave her a dazzling smile before the announcer congratulated her again before Yang made her way out of the ring.

Sun was nudging her with his elbow and Blake was covering her face that she knew was now red from embarrassment. She was just happy that Yang hadn’t mentioned her by name. Hearing her name being called, she looked up and saw Ruby waving at her before pointing to her scroll.

Taking the hint, Blake pulled out her own and checked her messages; she had one from Ruby instructing her to meet her out in the lobby. Looking back up at Ruby, she nodded her head and stood up, the others following her lead, none of them bothering to listen to what Emerald had to say.

The walk to the lobby was spent with Sun and Neptune excitedly talking about the match that had just finished. Weiss was on her scroll, presumably working. Blake couldn’t wipe the smile that was on her face even if she wanted to; she was so happy that Yang had kept her title. She could only imagine how Yang was feeling. Blake wasn’t entirely sure on where exactly they were supposed to wait for Ruby, so she sent her a text saying they were waiting by the popcorn stand and she listened to Sun and Neptune talk about the fight that had been before Yang’s.

Turning towards Weiss, she was peering over her shoulder when she spotted the familiar face of Sienna. She was a little way away, but Blake would recognize her anywhere. She was talking to someone that was unfamiliar to Blake; she began to walk in their general direction, and she was worried that she would see her. She was about to turn around and face the other way when Ruby came running towards them and stopped directly in front of Weiss.

“Hey guys! It’s time for the press conference and I’ve been asked to invite you all. So, let’s go!” she motioned for them to follow her and she reached down and grabbed Weiss’ hand and lead them back towards the direction that she came from.

Thankful for the minor distraction, she looked back in the general direction of where Sienna had been, but she didn’t see her. Sighing in relief, she walked next to Weiss who was listening to Ruby talk about where she wanted to go and eat.

Not long after, they were standing behind a bunch of reporters who were asking questions to both Yang and Emerald. Yang had her hair down and Blake could see that her nose was red from where Emerald had punched her earlier. She had a few cuts and bruises on her face, but Emerald looked much worse; she was sporting a black eye with a split nose and lip. She was currently answering a question, but Blake wasn’t paying too much attention.

After the press conference was done, Ruby walked up to Blake and pulled her slightly away. “So, you’re going to come with me, and the rest of the guys are gonna leave. Here, Yang gave me this pass for you so you can meet her in her locker room and from there you guys can leave. Wait, did you bring your car?”

“Yes?” Blake asked curiously while grabbing the pass that Ruby was handing to her.

“Darn, okay. Do you think Sun or Neptune can bring it around? Yang has to leave through the backdoor.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’ll be an issue.”

“Great! I’ll go talk to them. Can I have your keys?”

After handing her keys over to her, she watched as she ran towards Neptune, talking a mile a minute before handing her car keys over to him. He looked over at her and she shrugged before nodding her head. He said something back to Ruby and she nodded her head before waving and going back to Blake.

“Alright, he said he’d bring your car around. Are you ready now?”

“Yes, let me say bye really quick.” Not wasting any time, Blake hurriedly went over to Sun and Neptune and gave them both quick hugs. “I’ll see you guys later. Text me when you get home, okay?”

“For sure! We’re going to the bar to celebrate Yang’s victory.” Sun said with a smile. “Any chance you two will join us?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll let you know.” She waved goodbye and watched them walk towards the exit before she turned back to Ruby who was standing with Weiss. “I’m ready.”

Ruby led them towards the back of the arena where she flashed her pass to the security guard and let him know that Blake had her own pass (which she showed him) and that Weiss was with her. The human male recognized her and let them through, telling her to send Yang his congratulations. They made their way passed other competitors and Blake hoped that she wouldn’t see Sienna back here with the other Faunus fighters. Going down another hall, Ruby knocked on a door that had a sign taped to it that read “YANG XIAO LONG.” A muffled come in was heard and she opened the door and walked in, Weiss and Blake following behind her.

“Hiya, sis! I brought Blake like you asked.”

Yang turned around and when she made eye contact with her, she smiled. “Hey there, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Yang.” Blake greeted with a smile.

“Oh, hi Weiss.”

The white-haired girl rolled her eyes. “It’s nice to see you as well, Yang. Congratulations on winning.”

“Thanks.” Yang smiled. “And thank you for the awesome song. I loved it.”

Weiss only nodded her head before turning to Ruby. “Are you ready to leave?”

“Yup! I’ll see you tomorrow, Yang. Bye Blake!” Ruby went and gave both girls a hug before leaving hand in hand with Weiss.

Now that it was just them two, Blake clasped her hands in front of her and looked around the room. There was really nothing special to it, just a regular room that had a small bathroom connected to it. There was a mirror and a chair along with a couch and TV mounted to the wall. When she was done looking around, she could see Yang staring at her through the mirror. Blake smiled at her before walking towards her.

“You did really good.” Blake commented. “I knew you would win.”

Yang beamed at her. “Thanks, that means a lot coming from you.”

Blake’s smile never left her face. “So, where did you want to go eat?”

“After each win we always go to Rockin’ Red’s. It’s super good.” Yang said while brushing out her hair. When she saw Blake’s face through the mirror, she stopped and looked at her. “Is something wrong?”

“That place…it’s actually not a Faunus welcoming restaurant.” Blake spoke sadly. “People usually don’t notice it right away, but there are never any Faunus there and if a Faunus were to go and eat there, they would be treated rudely.”

“Say no more, then. We’ll just have to go somewhere else.” Yang thought for a while. “Oh! How about this place called Trina’s Diner? It’s a few places down and it’s kind of small but their burgers are amazing! Is that place Faunus friendly?”

“Yes, it is. Me and Sun have eaten there a few times and we both liked it.”

“Great! We’ll go there then!” Yang decided. Once she was done brushing her hair, she threw her brush into a nearby gym bag and zipped it closed. “Ready to leave?”

“Yes, are you?”

“Yup! I’ve got all my things right here.”

Blake smiled up at her. “Then let’s go. You’ll have to lead though; I have no idea where we are.”

Yang laughed. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

They left the small room after that, Yang motioning for Blake to follow her. Walking side by side, both of them walked in comfortable silence. A few people they passed congratulated Yang and tried to speak with her, but all she did was say thanks while still walking and letting them know that she had to leave. They reached the exit and once they walked out of the double doors, she spotted her car but no sign of Neptune. She looked around and spotted both Neptune and Sun sitting in Sun’s car and once they spotted each other, they waved before they took off. Her scroll dinged and when she looked down she saw a text from Neptune, saying the keys were in the ignition and the door was unlocked.

“Well, shall we?” Yang asked.

“We shall.”

Walking towards her car, she opened the door and hit the button to open the trunk. Yang placed her bag back there before slamming it shut and heading towards the passenger side. Once she was inside, Blake started the car and drove. She followed the directions Yang gave her out of the back-parking lot and soon they were on the main road and headed towards the direction of Trina’s Diner. Ten minutes later, they were parking in front of the restaurant and exiting the car. It thankfully wasn’t packed and when they walked inside, they were greeted by the hostess who immediately recognized Yang.

“Miss. Xiao Long! Wow congratulations on your match! Please, sit anywhere you’d like, and someone will be with you soon.”

“Thank you.” Yang said with a smile. Placing her hand on the small of Blake’s back, she led her towards a table in the back. They sat down and she gave her a smile. “That way we can have some privacy.”

They sat in comfortable silence and soon another waitress came and set some menu’s down in front of them and asked for their drink order. Yang ordered a coke and Blake ordered a sweet tea. The blonde in front of her already knew what she wanted but Blake still wasn’t sure, so the waitress let them know she’d be back soon.

Bringing their drinks, she set them down in front of them. “Are you ready now, honey?” the older woman asked.

“Yes, I’m going to have the bacon cheeseburger but with no onions or lettuce.” Blake replied while handing the menu back to her.

“What about you?”

“I’m going to have the triple bacon cheeseburger with everything on it plus a side of onion rings.” Yang said with a smile while handing the menu back as well.

“I’ll put that in for you and bring it out once it’s done.” The waitress said with a smile.

Looking at Yang, Blake gave her a smirk. “Hungry?”

“Starving!” Yang laughed. She took a huge gulp of her coke before continuing. “I haven’t had a soda in literal months, and I’ve had to eat healthy for about as long. I need something greasy and good!”

“This is probably one of the best places to get both.” Blake replied. She stared off in the distance before speaking again. “I just hope you aren’t expecting me to kiss you; that’s a lot of onions you’re going to be eating.”

Yang thought about it for a while before signaling the waitress who came back. “Can you cancel the onion rings and take the onion off my burger please?” The waitress looked confused but nodded her head before going back to the kitchen. Yang looked and Blake and winked. “Problem solved.”

Blake began to laugh, a loud laugh that echoed around the restaurant and that also caused Yang to laugh along with her. “Oh, my gods, Yang I can’t believe you.” Looking at the blonde in front of her, she knew the affection she obviously had for her was showing in her eyes. “I guess I might just have to kiss you now after you went through all that trouble.”

“Only if you want to, Blake.” Yang said seriously. “I wouldn’t want you to do it unless you wanted to.”

“I know.” Blake replied while taking a sip of her drink. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

Their conversation shifted from there as Yang began to talk about the match and what she thinks she did wrong and what she should have done differently. Blake put in her own input a few times, saying that she did great, but that Emerald was a hot head who wouldn’t have been able to win regardless. She had shrugged after that and said she was biased since she didn’t like Emerald much. When Yang asked why, Blake explained that Emerald once stole some equipment that belonged to another Faunus and when she was confronted, she played the victim and was let go. She knew that Sun dismissed it easily, but it just angered Blake that she was able to get away with it.

Their food was brought out and Blake watched as Yang devoured the triple meat burger in front of her. She had only managed to eat half of her burger when Yang sat back in her seat, her plate completely clean. The blonde was patting her stomach and let out a sigh of contentment.

“That was so damn good.” Yang smiled. The waitress came by and asked if they needed anything else while grabbing her empty plate. “Can I get a vanilla milkshake please? Blake, do you want one?”

“No, I’m good. Thank you though.” She said while swallowing the last of her burger. “I can’t believe you’re still eating.”

“A milkshake hardly qualifies as a meal.” Yang said with a shrug. “Plus, I did just kick some major ass an hour and a half ago.”

Blake nodded her head before eating the last of her fries. “That is true.” Not long after, the waitress set down the milkshake in front of Yang along with the check.

“No rush. Is there anything else you need?”

“Nope, thank you!” Yang replied while taking a sip of her shake. “That taste so good. Do you want to try it?”

“Sure.” Grabbing the cup, she took a sip out of the straw, the taste of vanilla hitting her tongue. “Oh, that is good.” She took another sip before handing the cup back to Yang, their fingers briefly touching.

“Are you ready to go?” Yang asked while taking another drink; it was practically finished by this point. Blake nodded her head and stood up, sneakily grabbing the check while Yang closed her eyes and enjoyed the last of her milkshake.

Heading towards the counter, she gave their waitress – Emily, her name tag read – the check and pulled out her card. Her ears twitched as she heard Yang walking up to the counter. She pulled her into a hug and rested her chin on her head.

“You, Miss. Belladonna, are very sneaky.” She said softly. “I can’t believe you stole the check while I was enjoying the last of my hard-earned milkshake.”

“Next time don’t close your eyes.” Blake replied with a laugh as Emily handed back her card and the receipt to sign. She signed it quickly and left her a good tip before trying to look up at Yang, unsuccessfully. “Besides, I don’t mind paying.”

“Well, thank you for dinner.” She gave her a quick peck on the head before letting go. “Let’s get out of here.” She looked over at Emily and gave her a smile and wave. “Thanks for everything, Emily! We’ll definitely be back!”

“Have a good night you two.” She said with a laugh.

Walking out of the restaurant, Yang stretched and let out a loud yawn before looking over at Blake and smiling. Blake smiled back. “Where to now?” she asked the blonde.

“I…usually just go home after I eat. Except for that one time I went to Sea Monkeys. Did you want to go there?”

“We can go, if you want. I honestly don’t mind either way.” Blake replied with a smile. “If we did go, I’m sure Sun would be ecstatic. But there are definitely going to be a lot of people there.”

As Yang thought about it, Blake took this time to really study her. Her face was red as was her nose – being hit in the face will definitely do that to you – but she still managed to look absolutely stunning. The white tank top she was wearing fit her curves beautifully as did her jeans, hugging her hips and legs in a way that had Blake wanting to run her hands all over her. There was no denying just how beautiful Yang was, but Blake had already known that from the first match she had seen of her at Sea Monkeys.

“I say let’s go for a little while and then we can leave. I would like to see Sun and have him gush about the fight.”

“You just want to hear him gush about you.” Blake corrected while rolling her eyes.

“That too.” Yang laughed. She reached down between them and intertwined their fingers again, walking the short distance to the car. “You’re okay with that, right?”

“Of course, I enjoy being there. Plus, I know I don’t have to work, and I can literally just go to enjoy myself.”

They reached the car and Blake was reluctant to let go of Yang’s hand, but of course she had to since she was driving. While she tried to pull away, Yang tugged her back to her. Blake was a bit shocked but when she looked up at Yang and saw the look in her eyes, she could feel herself melting.

“I just…wanted to thank you again. I really enjoyed seeing you there at the match and for taking me out to dinner.” Wrapping her arms around her, she pulled her into an intimate hug; the kind of hug that Blake had never experienced before.

“It was my pleasure.” Blake replied while returning the hug. She inhaled deeply and was instantly flooded by the familiar scent that was Yang. Pulling away, she looked at Yang and gave her a smile. The smile she received had her wondering how soft Yang’s lips were; maybe it was time that she found out. Leaning in close, she saw Yang visibly swallow while leaning in closer. Their lips were nearly touching –

“Oh, my gods! Yang Xiao Long!”

Blake exhaled slowly and took a step back, the irritation written plainly on her face. Yang let out a small laugh and brushed some of her hair away from her face before turning around to see who had interrupted them. It was two girls who both had their scrolls out, no doubt capturing their almost kiss.

“Can we please have your autograph?! And a picture!” the dark-haired girl asked.

“Of course!” Yang replied cheerfully. She let go of Blake’s hand so she could sign a piece of paper that the girl was holding out for her. They were both going back and forth with how much they loved her, and Yang only nodded her head. She posed for a picture with each girl before waving goodbye.

“Are you, like, her girlfriend or something?” the other girl asked. Blake looked at her and saw that she was wearing an Adam t-shirt; there wasn’t a picture of him, but she recognized his rose emblem.

“I don’t see how that is your business.” Blake replied, trying to keep her anger in check. It was almost instant, the recognition in the girl’s eyes.

“You look familiar…” she kept speaking. “Like I know I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

“We should leave.” Blake said to Yang, turning her attention away from the red-headed girl in front of her.

Yang only nodded her head before addressing the fans. “You guys have a good night!”

Unlocking the doors, Blake made her way towards the other side of the car. Yang had already gotten in and as Blake was about to open the door, the red head spoke again.

“I know! You used to date Adam, right? I knew I recognized you!” her face suddenly turned angry. “How could you do that to Adam? Just leave him like that.”

“Whoa, Ivy, chill out.” The other girl responded.

Blake didn’t stick around to find out what else was said between them. She slammed the door shut and started the car, throwing it in drive and pulling out as quickly as possible. As she made her way towards Sea Monkeys, she could feel Yang’s eyes on her. Keeping her eyes on the road, she instinctively reached down and turned the radio on, leaving it at a low volume so she wouldn’t seem rude. Before she could put her hand back on the wheel, she felt Yang grab her hand and intertwine their fingers again.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly.

“I will be.” Blake replied honestly. She flicked on her turn signal and moved to the left lane so she could take the next turn. “I’m just upset that they ruined the night.”

“It doesn’t have to be ruined. Don’t worry, sweetheart; we’re going to have lots of fun when we get to the bar. Trust me.”

Stopping at the red light, she turned to look at Yang who was giving her a wide smile. “I do trust you.” And she actually meant it. Pulling Yang’s hand to her, she gave the back of her hand a kiss. She smiled at the blush on her face and turned once the light changed to green. Maybe Yang was right, things would be fun once they arrived at Sea Monkeys.

~*~*~*~

Yang was right; everything was a lot better. As soon as they arrived and they both walked in, they were greeted with loud cheers as everyone recognized Yang. All around, people were giving her high fives and telling her congratulations on keeping her title. Even a few people were giving Blake high fives just for being with her, but no one brought up Adam which she was grateful about. As they made their way to the bar, she spotted Scarlet who was already placing a cherry vodka sour onto the bar top.

“Hey there moonshine.” He greeted her once she got closer. “You better drink up! I don’t want to hear that you aren’t drinking; tonight, we are celebrating!”

“I don’t want to get drunk, red.” Blake rolled her eyes. She looked over at Yang who had been stopped by some fans that wanted to chat. “Besides, I don’t want to be drunk while she’s here.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I want to remember every minute that I spend with her.”

Scarlet didn’t have a response for that, so instead, he just nodded his head and moved towards the other side of the bar where his attention was needed. Her focus on Yang never wavered as she watched the other woman laugh and smile at the people who supported her. Every so often, Yang would look over at Blake and give her a wide smile before continuing on her conversation. She sipped on her drink and talked to a few of the regulars who came by to chat with her, but for the most part her attention stayed with the blonde girl who was slowly becoming a big part of her life.

Yang finally made her way over to where Blake was standing and wrapped her arm around the cat Faunus once she was close enough. Blake rested her head against Yang’s shoulder and sighed before taking another drink. Scarlet came over to them and asked Yang if she wanted a drink, but she told him no and he nodded his head before leaving again.

Blake's ears twitched as she heard Yang’s scroll going off. Moments later, she heard Yang groan. “Everything okay?”

“No…I have to leave.” Yang said with a frown. “Qrow just informed me that I have some press stuff to do tomorrow early in the morning. I hate to do this to you but…”

“Did you need a ride home?”

“Yeah…” Yang rubbed the back of her neck while looking away. “I know you’ve been drinking so if you can’t, that’s fine.”

“This is the only drink I’ve had all night.” Blake answered. She set the cup down on the bar top and smiled up at her. “I’ll be fine to drive you home.”

“Then let’s get going then, shall we?” Yang gave her a smile and reached down to grab her hand. Blake was definitely getting used to the feeling of her hand in hers. “I’ll say bye to the guys, and we can head out.”

Blake nodded her head and went along with Yang as she first said bye to Scarlet and then to Sun and Neptune who were sitting on the side of the bar that was usually used by close friends of theirs. They each gave Yang a hug before turning to give Blake one. She told them she was coming back, but Neptune gave her a wink and Sun poked her with his tail and winked at her too. Yang rolled her eyes and pulled Blake along with her towards the exit where they both said goodbye to Sage who was working the door. They walked hand in hand towards Blake car and once they both got inside, Blake turned to look at Yang, asking for directions. As Blake eased out onto the road, Yang gave her directions back to her apartment.

Pulling up in front of her building, Blake was surprised to see that Yang’s apartment wasn’t that far away from Sea Monkeys. Yang admitted that she always passed it while doing her morning run, and that for the longest time she always wanted to go inside to check it out but had never done so before because she had always been busy training. Blake wondered briefly how it would have been if Yang had stopped inside before she was introduced to her.

“Did you want to come inside?” Yang asked before opening the passenger door.

“Would you like me to go inside?”

“Do you have to answer my question with a question?” she teased.

“No, but it makes things interesting.” Blake replied with a smile. “But, I’ll go up if you want me to.”

“I wouldn’t mind at all. But you can’t park here, just park where Ruby usually does. She won’t be here until later.”

Doing as she was told, Blake pulled out and parked in Ruby’s parking before getting out and opening the trunk for Yang who grabbed her bag and then escorted Blake inside her building. Yang’s apartment was almost exactly how Blake imagined it to be. It was a decent sized two-bedroom apartment that also had two bathrooms with an open floor plan for the living and dining room and kitchen.

“Go ahead and make yourself at home, I’m going to go throw this in my room and change into some loose pants.” Yang announced. Blake simply nodded her head and watched as Yang went down the small hallway and to the room on the right.

Blake looked around briefly at all the different knickknacks that were along the shelves and entertainment center. Yang had a massive collection of movies and Blake looked at them momentarily before she decided to slip her shoes off and place them near the front door. Sitting down on the couch, she pulled out her scroll and went to her social media page only to see that Sun had already posted pictures from the fight. Blake smiled as the only caption he had put were a whole bunch of heart eye emojis on the picture that he had taken of Yang receiving her championship belt.

“So, this is our apartment.” Yang announced once she came out of her bedroom wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a plain yellow tank top. “Did you want to do anything? Or did you maybe want to stay? I know it’s kind of late.”

In all honesty, Blake hadn’t even thought about staying over, or what exactly they would have done when she decided to come back to her apartment. In hindsight, it probably would have been better if she would have gone home after dropping her off. Seeing Yang in what appeared to be her pajamas, so relaxed and just staring at her so openly had Blake realizing that maybe it was a good thing that she came over after all. She smiled at Yang before answering.

“I don’t mind staying, if you don’t mind me being here.”

“Of course not!” Yang said quickly. “I mean I just feel bad because we can’t really do anything since I have to get to bed already. I also have to be up early and you’re always welcome to stay until I get back but I don’t know if you’d want to or if you’d be alright with waking up with me but I’m going to be up by at least six in the morning and it’s already past midnight so you won’t get much sleep and oh my gods I am rambling I think I’m just going to stop talking now.”

Blake began to laugh; getting up from the couch, she walked over to Yang who was rubbing the back of her neck, a blush tinting her cheeks red. “It was cute, so I don’t mind it. I’ll be alright waking up early and heading back to my apartment to get a few more hours of sleep; I work tomorrow.”

“Okay, great! Glad we got that settled.” Yang looked at her briefly before turning her attention away, the blush growing deeper. “You can borrow some of my clothes; it’s definitely going to be larger since you’re so small. I would give you the clothes you let me borrow but I still haven’t washed them yet.”

“You can just give me a shirt to sleep in.”

“Just a shirt? I mean I can give you some shorts; Ruby’s clothes might fit you.”

“Yang?”

“Yes?”

“A shirt is fine.” Blake gave her another smile. “I have to admit, you are really cute when you’re flustered.” She stepped closer to her, her right hand finding its way to her waist. “It’s quite flattering, knowing that I’m the reason on why you’re acting that way.”

“Y-yeah?”

“Yeah,” she looked up at her and smiled, leaning in closer. “We got interrupted last week on Sun’s birthday. We even got interrupted today with those girls who asked for your autograph.”

“Yes, we did.” Yang became a little more serious as she finally snapped out of her flustered state and pulled Blake closer to her.

“Let’s not let that happen again.” Blake whispered. Taking the final step towards her, she reached up and softly kissed her lips.

Fireworks: it was so cliché but that is exactly what Blake saw the moment her lips touched Yang’s. The feeling she got back at the club came back tenfold; kissing Yang was what she had been reading about in all of the books that lined her shelves. Back in high school she used to laugh at the way the girls in her stories would describe kissing the guy that they liked. And yet now, now Blake was feeling every single emotion that had been described. Fireworks, stars, drifting off into clouds and being the only two people that were existing in this universe. There was no comparison for what it felt like being there with Yang. As she pulled away, she looked into Yang’s lilac colored eyes and saw what she was feeling reflected back.

“That was…” Yang started.

“Perfect.”

Yang smiled. “Yeah, that was perfect.”

Leaning down, she kissed her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter posted! Again, sorry for the delay but I believe this wait was well worth it =)
> 
> Thank you everyone for their continued love and support for this story and also for their patience. Shoutout to all the people who follow me on Twitter and see my random updates and progress pictures; your encouragement keeps me going!
> 
> The match that I based off Yang and Emerald's fight is actually a Ronda Rousey and Misha Tate fight; I just took out round two of the fight. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIG9xUXbuiY  
The song that Yang walks into is "Ignite" by Casey Lee Williams and Jeff Williams.
> 
> I know I left an unanswered question in the beginning, but that question will be answered at a later date ;)
> 
> Twitter: @VioletSkyes413


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Blake didn’t want this moment to end. The feeling of Yang’s lips against hers was just like coming home. Everything about her was like coming home after a long trip away. When they finally did pull apart, she smiled at her so genuinely that Yang brought her lips back down to hers once more.

“I…wow.”

“I know exactly what you mean.” Blake agreed while giving her another quick kiss. “We should…probably go to sleep now.”

“Yeah…” Yang was reluctant to let go of the woman in front of her, so instead, she reached down between them and grabbed her hand. “Come on, I’ll get you something to wear.”

She pulled her to the bedroom, the smile on her face never leaving as they passed through the doorway and into Yang’s room. She let go of Blake’s hand and continued towards her dresser where she began to rummage around for a shirt for Blake to wear. As she did this, Blake looked around her bedroom, her eyes taking in all the decorations around her. Every inch of her bedroom was covered in posters and pictures, more knickknacks as well as pictures lined the surfaces of her dresser, a laptop closed on top of a desk that held a framed photograph of her and Ruby from when they were younger. Yang had a bookshelf that had UFC memorabilia; pictures printed out and framed of Yang during different fights, a picture of her when she first became champion. Blake smiled as she saw an old poster of her dad also hanging on the wall, the corners frayed and torn from how old it was. What surprised Blake the most out of all of this, was the empty space that was between that poster and another of the AchieveMen.

“Did you have something hanging right there?” Blake asked, not being able to stop her curiosity.

Yang stopped momentarily, not even looking up to where Blake was pointing to. She sighed before pulling out a yellow shirt. She turned to look at Blake and she gave her an apologetic smile. “I did. It was a poster of Adam…it was from his match that took place in Anima almost a year ago. I took it down the day that we had breakfast with your parents.”

“Oh.” Was all Blake said. She turned her attention once more to the empty spot before turning away completely. That was the fight where she finally left after Adam beat her so severely; that was the night she called Sun and Neptune. She closed her eyes briefly and exhaled before opening them again and looking at Yang, giving her a smile. “Thank you, for the shirt.”

“Oh, right!” Yang responded. She handed her the yellow garment and rubbed the back of her neck. “It should fit you long enough. It’s an old shirt from one of my previous matches. The bathroom is through there; I don’t have any extra toothbrushes, but I do have mouthwash if you want to use that.”

Blake nodded her head and gave her a soft okay before walking into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Turning towards the mirror, she saw her flushed face in the reflection, and she smiled. Her eyes seemed more vibrant than she had seen them in a while, all because of the person currently in the other room. She stripped out of her clothes, debating for a minute on whether or not she should take her bra off as well. She had technically already slept without one when Yang had slept over last week…letting that knowledge guide her, she slipped it off and placed it with her clothes that she had folded up. Putting on the yellow shirt, she smiled as she saw the large YXL with a dragon wrapped around it on the fabric; grabbing the mouthwash she quickly washed out her mouth and put it back. Once she was done, she made it out of the bathroom and saw that Yang was already sitting in bed, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was busy on her scroll but when she heard the bathroom door open she looked up and her mouth dropped open.

Blake looked down, her hair becoming a curtain between them. She wasn’t feeling embarrassed because she was wearing only a t-shirt and her underwear; no, she was embarrassed because of the way Yang was staring at her. It had been so long since someone looked at her that way. She brushed her hair behind her human ear and looked up at Yang who was still staring; Blake smiled.

“Cat got your tongue?”

That question snapped Yang out of her staring and got her laughing. “I guess in this instant, yes.” She got up from the bed and made her way over to her, giving her forehead a quick kiss. “I’m going to brush my teeth and wash my face. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable.”

She nodded her head and walked towards the other side of the bed. Blake pulled the covers down and was about to get into bed when she remembered that her scroll was still in the living room. She quickly went and grabbed it before getting into bed. She opened up the message thread that her and the boys shared and let them know that she was going to be staying at Yang’s apartment and that she would be back in the morning. Sun and Scarlet sent winky face emoji’s while Neptune and Sage sent thumbs up. Setting her scroll down on the table next to her, Blake got comfortable and waited for Yang to come back, which she did not long later.

“Ready for bed?” Yang asked her. Blake nodded her head and watched as Yang went and turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness. “You can still see me, right?”

“Yes, I can.” Blake answered. She watched Yang slowly make her way back to bed and felt the bed dip under her weight. “I’m happy you made it back to bed in one piece.”

“So am I.” Yang said with a laugh. She got comfy in bed and Blake went to lay down with her. “I’m going to be waking up at five thirty. I hope that isn’t too early for you.”

“I should be alright. I can always go back to sleep whenever I get back to my apartment so it’s fine.”

No other words were exchanged between them. They both just laid there, the silence slowly becoming a bit uncomfortable, but neither one of them knowing what exactly to say. Blake shifted a bit and turned to see that Yang was staring up at the ceiling, clearly not asleep. Rolling onto her side, she continued to stare at her. Even in the dark, she was beautiful. Yang had her right arm resting on the bed in between them, so Blake slowly reached her own hand towards it and grabbed hold of it, startling the woman next to her.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Blake whispered.

“That’s okay.” Yang whispered back. She was staring at her now…or at least in the general direction of where her face was at. Briefly letting go of her hand, Blake reached forward and gently grabbed her chin and angled it to where she was now staring at her.

“My face is right here.” Blake said with a little laugh.

“We can’t all see in the dark.” Yang muttered while gently taking hold of her hand and bringing it to her lips, kissing it.

Inhaling deeply, she closed the small distance between them. Yang still had a hold of her hand which she had now intertwined with her own. Blake couldn’t tear her eyes away from her and she could see the slight blush that was across Yang’s face.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Yang finally asked in a whisper.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to just openly stare. I just…” she trailed off, not knowing if she should say what she really wanted to say. She felt Yang squeeze her hand, a simple encouragement. “I just really like you.” Blake closed her eyes after the admission. Of course, she knew that Yang knew this, seeing as she had agreed to go on a date with her and had even kissed her, but to admit it out loud was a whole other story.

“I kind of figured you did when you couldn’t stop checking me out all those times we hung out together.” Yang said with a chuckle. Releasing her hand, she wrapped her arm around Blake and pulled her closer to her, their bodies touching. “I like you too, sweetheart.” Yang leaned down and pressed her lips against hers once more, taking the time to savor the way her lips felt against her own. “We should get some sleep.”

Blake nodded her head but pressed her lips against hers again. Why had they waited so long to do this? After pulling away, she settled into Yang’s embrace, enjoying the warmth that the girl was giving off. “Goodnight, Yang.”

“That’s not my name, remember?”

“Really?” Blake said with an eye roll. “I’ve been calling you Yang all day today.”

“Well right now that it’s just us two I refuse to acknowledge being called anything but my new name.”

“Oh, my gods.” Blake began to laugh. Looking up at her, she could see the smile that was on her face. Blake lifted her hand to Yang’s face and pulled it closer to her, their lips a hairs breath away from each other. “Goodnight, babe.” She whispered while placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

When Blake pulled away from her she saw that Yang’s eyes were closed; they didn’t stay that way for very long. When she opened her eyes, they were looking directly into hers. Giving her another smile, she leaned in and kissed her again.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

~*~*~*~

The alarm Yang had set up went off at five thirty, but it honestly felt as if neither one of them had slept at all. Yang groaned and rolled over and reached for her scroll, but only succeeded in knocking it onto the floor. She let out a curse and had to pull herself away from Blake, who let out a noise of annoyance before opening her eyes. Yang was at the edge of the bed looking for her scroll and once she found it she turned the alarm off and let out a long sigh. Setting her scroll down on the end table, she flicked on the light and Blake let out a little hiss of annoyance before turning away.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

Blake let out a small grunt before sitting up. When she turned to look at Yang, she saw the blonde woman with a smile on her face. “Morning.”

“Not a morning person, huh?”

“No, I’m not. Working at a bar kind of makes that happen.” Blake paused for a moment before continuing. “Then again, I’ve always been more of a night owl.”

“Makes sense.” Getting up from bed, Yang stretched and let out a loud yawn. “I have to be at the gym by six thirty…ugh I still need to shower and find something to wear and then get over to the gym. I won’t even have time to eat or get any coffee.”

Still half asleep, Blake yawned while speaking. “How about I get you something to eat and I’ll take it to you at the gym?”

“Huh?”

“I can take you food.” Blake said again, figuring Yang hadn’t heard her the first time.

“You don’t have to. I know that you’re tired and that you have work tonight.” Yang replied.

“It’s no problem. I’ll get you whatever you want. Or I can make you breakfast.”

Yang gave her a huge smile and walked over to where she was still in bed trying to wake up. Sitting in front of her, she pulled her into a hug, Blake sinking into her embrace and wrapping her own arms around her. “You truly are amazing. How about you pick us up something from one of the fast food places around the gym and we can eat there at the gym?”

“Deal.” Blake said sleepily.

No other words were exchanged as Yang kissed her forehead and got up from the bed. She let Blake know she was going to shower really quick and while she was in there she could change. Blake did just that, only stripping from the shirt Yang let her borrow once she heard the water turn on and the shower curtain close. She quickly dressed before sitting back down on the bed, the shirt she had been wearing laid out next to her; she wasn’t entirely sure on where to put it, so she just left it there.

Blake reached for her scroll and went to her messages, seeing that she didn’t have any. Opening up her social media page, she saw a few articles from yesterday about Yang’s match and she smiled as all of them read on how Yang had kept her title. Sun had even shared an article and the caption said, “You can see us sitting down in back of her coaches and sister!” with a whole bunch of heart eyes. Curiously, she clicked on the article and scrolled down and sure enough, there they all were, sitting together and cheering Yang on. It was actually a really good photo and you could clearly tell each of them apart.

The shower turned off shortly after and Blake clicked out of the article, going back to see pictures from the bar and whatever else people had shared. She closed out of the app and minutes later Yang came out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel and wearing a robe. A very short robe. Blake was trying hard not to stare but it was almost impossible. Yang, of course, noticed this and she winked at her as she made her way towards her closet. Blake rolled her eyes before letting them roam around the room, not focusing on anything in particular.

Five minutes later, Yang came out of the closet, she was wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a yellow tank top that had “YXL” in black at the top left. She was carrying a pair of boots and she had the same gym bag from her match from yesterday. She also had a pair of socks and she went and sat down at the end of the bed where she put her socks on before turning around to look at Blake.

“You just about ready to go?”

“Yeah, I just have to put my shoes on. And find the will to live.”

Yang let out a loud laugh before standing up from the bed, her shoes in hand. “Well, when you find it I’ll be in the living room.”

Blake only nodded before getting up herself and heading towards the bathroom where she rinsed out her mouth with some mouthwash. Looking in the mirror, she saw that her hair was a mess and whatever make up she had been wearing yesterday was all smudged underneath her eyes. Glaring at her reflection, she wondered why Yang had called her beautiful when she looked like a racoon; she wiped underneath her eyes, trying to get whatever make up she could off before turning on the water. She wet her hands and combed her fingers through her hair, trying to make it look at least a bit presentable. Once she was done, Blake left the bathroom and went into the living room where Yang was sitting on the couch with her boots on and looking through her scroll; she looked up when she heard Blake enter the living room.

“Hey there beautiful.”

“Ugh, I look like a racoon.” Blake answered while going to grab her boots. Yang’s laughter filled the room as she went to sit down.

“A very beautiful racoon.” Yang teased.

Blake gave her a blank look and once she was done, she stood up. “Am I taking you to the gym or were you going to go on Bumblebee?”

“I was going to take Bumblebee, that way you don’t have to worry about bringing me home.”

“I was just going to leave you there, but I guess that’s better.”

“You’re so feisty when you’re sleep deprived.” The blonde said affectionately as she went to grab her riding jacket and helmet. “It’s something I can definitely get used to.”

Blake walked to the front door and gave her a sleepy smile. After confirming again that she was ready, they both grabbed whatever items they needed and headed out of Yang’s apartment. The ride down the elevator was uneventful and once they reached Blake’s car, she clearly saw that Bumblebee was parked right next to her, something she hadn’t noticed when they arrived last night. Blake opened up her door and tossed her purse inside and leaned against the car frame. Yang was fiddling with something on her bike, her attention completely focused on what she was doing. Blake could only stare at her as she did this; she looked gorgeous.

“You look gorgeous.” Blake spoke, deciding to voice her thoughts.

Yang looked up at her and smiled shyly. “Really?”

“Well, yes.” Blake responded. “You must know this.”

“It’s just nice to hear you say it.”

“I’ll be sure to say it more often then.”

“You are super cute in the morning. I honestly want more days like this.” Yang replied with a soft smile. “But I do have to go already. So, get over here so I can tell you goodbye.”

Blake didn’t hesitate as she left her side of the car and walked the short distance to where Yang was standing near her bike. Once she was close enough she immediately wrapped her arms around Yang and pulled her close. Yang’s arms found their way around her waist, squeezing her lightly.

“I’ll miss you.” Yang admitted.

“You’re going to see me shortly.” Blake muttered.

“I already see you shortly.” Yang joked. Blake huffed causing the blonde to laugh.

“I’ll see you soon.” Blake spoke as she looked up into Yang’s eyes. “I’m probably just going to get some breakfast biscuits if that’s alright with you.”

“That’s fine. Just please make sure to get me a large coffee.”

“Of course. Drive safe, okay?” Blake was about to pull away, but Yang didn’t loosen her grip. “Oh, did I forget something?”

“Yes.” Yang answered. Before Blake could say anything, she leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss, the kind of kiss that made Blake’s stomach tie in knots, the good kind. “I like the way your lips feel against mine.” She kissed her again.

“Did you get that from a bad romance novel?” Blake teased but kissed her again.

“No, bad romance movie.” Yang teased right back while pulling up to kiss her forehead. “You drive safe too, sweetheart. The doors will be open for you so you can just walk in.”

“I don’t have to get breakfast for everyone, right?” she asked curiously as she kissed her chin.

“Nope, just for your babe.” Yang winked. “But for real, I have to go. I’ll see you soon, Blake.”

“Bye, babe.” Blake smiled while kissing her once more and pulling away from her warm embrace.

Getting into her car, she waved goodbye to Yang as she started her car and pulled out of the parking space she was in. She could hear Bumblebee’s loud engine and when she looked in her rearview mirror, she could see that Yang had already eased out of her parking spot and was stopped right behind her. Turning her left blinker on, she waved to Yang in her rearview mirror and Yang waved back. She turned and in her rearview mirror she saw Yang turn right. As much as Blake had wanted to keep her eyes on her the whole time, she knew that would be dangerous. Turning her attention back to the road, she smiled at the thought of seeing her soon.

~*~*~*~

After Blake had returned home, she took a quick shower before putting on a plain black dress; she quickly brushed her hair, leaving it down before applying her usual make up. She slipped on her boots and headed back out and towards the general direction of the gym. Once she was close enough, she spotted a fast food restaurant and pulled in. After studying the menu for a few minutes, she quickly placed an order for four breakfast sandwiches and hash browns, a large coffee with two sugars for Yang and a large orange juice for herself. Once she paid for her food and received it, she went to the gym where she parked in the same spot she had the first time she came.

Shutting down her car and getting out, she made her way towards the entrance where the door was unlocked. When she walked in and made her way towards the back, the first thing she noticed were all the cameras. She had known that Yang had to do some press work, she just hadn’t been expecting so many cameras. Blake was hesitant walking farther back, but once she spotted Ruby standing off to the side, she began to make her way over to her.

“Hey, Ruby.” Blake spoke once she got close enough. The brunette looked at her and gave her a huge smile.

“Good morning, Blake! I’m surprised to see you here.” Ruby commented. She gave her a one-armed hug. “Oh, you brought Yang breakfast. She’s been complaining that she’s hungry.”

“I’m sure she has been.” Blake said, amused. Yang still hadn’t seen her yet; she was too busy posing for the cameras with her championship belt. She was wearing the same outfit from yesterday; the only difference now was that she had her hair down and was styled perfectly.

She was so beautiful.

Ruby began to talk with her about the possibility of their double date, something that Blake had completely forgotten about until she was reminded. Ruby was throwing out different ideas of what they could do, and Blake threw in some suggestions as well. Bowling alley, botanical garden, the zoo, even museums and different restaurants. Especially restaurants from how excited Ruby was getting about just talking about them. Blake’s stomach was beginning to growl as she thought about food; the food she had brought for them was beginning to get cold.

Not too long later, she heard Qrow say that Yang could take a break for now. Yang let out a long sigh and removed her belt from around her waist and handed it to Qrow who was standing next to her. He had noticed Blake entering but hadn’t said anything until right now; he pointed at her and Blake had to try not to laugh as Yang’s head snapped in her direction. The smile that Yang had just for her made Blake’s heart beat a mile a minute.

It didn’t take long for Yang to make her way over to where Blake and Ruby were standing, and once she got close enough, she pulled Blake into a hug and gave her a soft kiss. Ruby began to squeal in excitement and Blake looked away, a smile and blush appearing on her face.

“I’m happy to see you, sweetheart.”

“You saw me an hour ago.”

“That was such a long time ago.” Yang sighed dramatically. Looking down at Blake’s hand, she saw the takeout bag. “Is that our food?”

“Yes, your coffee is right there. Everything might be little cold now.”

“That’s alright with me.” Turning to Ruby, she gave her a smile. “We’re gonna go eat in dad’s office. Can you come get me when it’s time to go back?”

“Sure, you guys enjoy your breakfast!” Ruby waved.

“Right this way, kitten.” Yang motioned with a wink. She grabbed their drinks and motioned Blake in the right direction.

Rolling her eyes, Blake followed Yang back to the front of the gym, ignoring all the people who were standing around with cameras; she really hoped that no one was recording Yang walking with her to the back; she still wasn’t ready to go public, which was something that she was going to have to talk to Yang about. Once they made it inside Tai’s office, Yang shut the door behind her and sat down on the couch that was resting against the wall. Blake joined her and set down the paper bags on the couch while Yang set their drinks down on the table nearby. She gave Yang her food before getting her own; the sandwich was a little cold, but she didn’t mind as she took a bite out of it. When she looked over at Yang she had already eaten half of her sandwich as well as half of her hash brown. Blake laughed and Yang only shrugged as she continued eating.

Pushing the other sandwich towards Yang, Blake took a drink of her orange juice. “You really were hungry.”

“I told you I was.” Yang answered after she swallowed her food and took a drink of her coffee. “How long were you planning on staying?”

“Not long. I still need to go home and sleep since I have work tonight. I’ll probably only stay until your break ends; I wanted to make sure that you ate.”

“You’re so cute.” Yang replied with a smile.

Blake rolled her eyes and took another drink of her juice. “What exactly are you doing?”

“Photoshoot with the belt. They technically did one yesterday but that was just so they could have something on the official website. This shoot will be for the magazine that will come out next week.”

Nodding her head, she asked her another question. “Do you…think there will be pictures of us in the magazine?”

It took a while for Yang to answer, but this time it wasn’t because of the food that was in her mouth. Sighing, she looked at Blake, her face unreadable. “Do you not want there to be?”

Blake looked away from her, unable to keep eye contact; she guessed this was a good enough time to talk about it, since it was being brought up. “It’s not that I don’t want there to be. I’m just not…I don’t know if I’m ready for whatever is going on between us to become public. When me and Adam broke up, for a short while there were articles about it, and they weren’t very nice. Proof is with that girl who asked for your autograph yesterday. I don’t want them to paint me as having a type when that isn’t true.”

“That makes sense. I’m sorry, I should have asked you about it earlier.” Yang spoke softly.

“There’s no need to apologize. I should have said something sooner. I just want you to know that I really do want this to work. I’m not entirely prepared to deal with everything that comes with you being a celebrity –”

“That’s a bit of a stretch.”

“Yang, I have seen you in gossip magazines.” Blake said with a smile before continuing. “But I really am serious about this working.” Finally looking at the blonde woman in front of her, she saw that Yang wasn’t looking at her either.

“I’m serious about this too, Blake. I’ll try my hardest to keep you out of all of the press stuff. Because I wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable. But to be honest, there is going to be some instances where I can’t help. Like with those girls you mentioned, I’m sure they posted pictures of us leaving the restaurant.”

“I know…I just want to be sure that everything that happens is on our terms and no one else’s.”

“I have to agree.” Looking up at her, Yang gave her a wide smile. They both stayed quiet for a while, both of them replaying what the other had just said. The silence was broken however when she noticed Yang began to look around. “Hey, do you know what today’s date is?”

“The nineteenth; why?”

“So, I can remember this date forever.”

“Remember it how?” Blake asked curiously.

“As the day I ask you to be my girlfriend.” Yang said sweetly. Blake only stared at her; her voice caught in her throat. “If you want to be, that is.”

“You –” Blake cleared her throat. “You didn’t ask me.”

“Oh, right.” She laughed. Clearing whatever food was in the way, she moved closer to the woman in front of her, grabbing onto her hand. She intertwined their fingers together, giving her another warm smile. “Blake Belladonna, will you be my girlfriend?”

Blake leaned forward and gave Yang a kiss, pressing her lips firmly against the blonde woman in front of her. She pulled away long enough to answer her. “Yang Xiao Long, yes I will.”

“I’m glad. Now I can do this whenever I want.” Yang pulled her back towards her, their lips touching once again. Blake smiled against her lips and continued to kiss her girlfriend.

Wow, Yang Xiao Long was her girlfriend.

~*~*~*~

As Blake made her way back towards Sea Monkeys it almost felt as if she was floating on a cloud. She hadn’t felt this happy in so long; it was so refreshing. Not long after Yang had asked her, Ruby came in and said that Qrow was calling for her back so they could finish up the photoshoot. Yang had pulled Blake to her feet and kissed her; Blake promised to text her once she got home and Yang had smiled at her and said, “I’ll talk to you later, girlfriend.” Which had caused Ruby to let out an excited scream before wrapping her arms around both girls. Blake’s smile only seemed to grow wider at the knowledge that Ruby approved of them both.

After parking her car and getting out, she made her way inside and went straight to her room where she changed out of her dress and put on a tank top and shorts. She pulled out her scroll and sent Yang a text saying she was home and was about to go to bed. Her scroll vibrated and she smiled as she read the message.

**Yang:** _I’m happy to know my girlfriend made it home safely. Goodnight, girlfriend. I’ll talk to you later :) <3_

Blake laughed before replying.

**Me:** _Are you going to say that every time you text me now?_

**Yang:** _Yes I am girlfriend. Get used to it :) LOL get some rest sweetheart._

**Me:** _Very well. I’ll text you when I wake up…girlfriend :) goodnight, babe._

Double checking to make sure she had all her alarms set, she set her scroll down on her end table and quickly fell asleep, a smile still on her face.

~*~*~*~

Sea Monkeys was packed as it always seemed to be as of recently. Blake was in too good of a mood to even be annoyed with all the people who were coming up to the bar, not giving her much time to catch her breath. She took all of it in stride and gave each customer a smile before going on to the next. Sun and Scarlet both noticed her mood but neither one of them had asked her why exactly she was so happy.

Blake was wearing a pair of skintight black jeans, the kind that left very little to the imagination. She had woken up feeling confident with herself, so she paired the jeans with a long-sleeved see-through shirt with geometric patterns; all she had on underneath was her black bra. Scarlet had definitely made a comment about the shirt, but all Blake did was give him a smile, saying that she was feeling great about herself and her body to care about what anyone had to say.

Keeping to her word, Blake had sent Yang a text once she woke up, but she still hadn’t heard from her yet, which was fine since she was super busy at the moment anyways. Neptune was sitting off to the side of the bar with both Velvet and Coco and they were all chatting and laughing. Setting down their drinks, she noticed Coco looking her up and down, giving her a nod at her bold outfit. All Blake did was roll her eyes before going back to the other side of the bar where it had finally calmed down enough for her to relax a bit. All around the bar were the posters from yesterday’s match and every time she saw Yang’s face, a smile came to her own. Yang was really her girlfriend now. She never once thought she would ever say that; not even just because it was to Yang. But just in general; she never thought she would date someone again. Even through all her trust issues and insecurities, the way she felt with Yang was infinitely better than she felt with him. She shook her head; she didn’t want to compare Yang to Adam because honestly, there was no comparison.

Blake was so caught up in her own thoughts that it took her a moment to realize that someone was in front of her. Once she did look up, her heart began to beat franticly and the smile that was already on her face grew wider. Yang was standing right in front of her, her long blonde hair cascading down her back; she was wearing a plain orange tank top and some blue jeans. The look on her face was quite hilarious; her mouth was hanging open and her lilac eyes were wide in shock.

Moving forward, Blake moved as close as she possibly could to her and leaned against the bar. “You can close your mouth now.”

Yang’s mouth snapped shut and she could see her visibly swallow. “Hey there, sweetheart. You look…wow.”

“Thanks, so do you.” Blake gave her a knowing smile. “Are you drinking tonight?”

“Just one or two. I have to drive myself home.” She paused. “You know, I have to ask you something…” Yang looked her up and down before her lilac eyes met the intense stare of Blake’s gold. “Those pants are really nice but super tight; how do you get into them?”

Blake smirked before leaning across the bar to whisper into Yang’s ear. “You can start by buying me a drink.”

When she pulled away Yang’s face was bright red and she had her mouth slightly open. She began to sputter as she thought of a reply, but all Blake did was laugh before moving down to the other side of the bar where a customer was waiting to order.

After that, Yang went to go sit with Neptune, Velvet and Coco. As soon as Blake was done making Yang her drink, she took it over to the four of them and placed it down on the counter. All the others were still good on their own drinks so as she turned to walk away, she heard Yang call her name. turning around, she looked at Yang who had a smirk on her face.

“Hey Blake, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?”

“No, since I know you already know everybody over here.” Blake said with a straight face; she knew what Yang was doing.

“Wow.” Looking towards Coco and Velvet who were both to her right, she sighed. “Sorry, I didn’t realize how rude my girlfriend is.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa – wait a minute. Did you say _girlfriend?_” Neptune asked incredulously.

“Yes, I did.” Yang sighed again. “She’s that rude bartender right there.”

Blake rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I guess I won’t be making your drinks anymore, since I’m rude now.”

“Aw, Blakey, I’m kidding!” Yang whined. “You’re the best girlfriend ever.”

“Woo! It’s about damn time Yang.” Coco commented while fist bumping her. “I thought you were losing your edge there for a moment.”

“What edge?” Blake asked curiously.

“Oh, my gods.” Yang muttered while covering her face.

“She’s been talking about you for months now.” Coco said with a smug smile. “She had no idea that I knew you. It was cute.”

“Months, huh? I had no idea you were so obsessed with me, Yang.” Blake said with a smirk. Scarlet called to her then and she had to leave. “You’ll have to tell me what she said, Coco.”

“You know it, doll.” The fashionista said with a wink.

As Blake was walking away, she heard Yang complaining that Coco was supposed to be on her side. Laughter ensued after that and Blake couldn’t help the smile on her face as she went to help out Scarlet.

“What are they laughing about?”

“Oh, they’re just laughing at something my girlfriend said. No big deal.” Blake shrugged her shoulders.

It was almost instant, Scarlet’s reaction. First, he spilled the liquor he was using all over the counter, causing it to also get on his white colored pants. Second, he all but screamed before setting the bottle down carelessly and turned to look directly at Blake. Third, he pulled Blake into a tight hug and squeezed her, causing Blake to wheeze from all the air leaving her lungs. Once he pulled away he began to ask her questions; when did this happen? Who asked who? Why did she wait so long to say something? Did they finally kiss?

“Have you guys had sex yet?” was the last and loudest question, causing all who were in the corner to look up at them.

Noticing Yang’s lilac gaze upon them, she felt the blush growing on her face as Yang smiled at her before turning away, her own face turning red. “No, Scarlet! Could you say it louder next time? I don’t think everyone else in the bar heard you.”

“But I’m just so excited! Now spill!”

“We are working. I’ll tell you later. Now go clean up your mess and finish making the drinks that those people ordered.”

“Don’t expect me to forget, Blake Belladonna!” Scarlet said while pointing his finger at her.

Rubbing her face, Blake kept her focus on working and finished getting the drink orders. A few more people had come up to the bar and once she was done, she went back to the side of the bar where Yang was currently sitting by herself.

“Where’d everyone go?”

“Coco and Velvet had to leave already, and Neptune went to talk to someone.” Yang answered while setting her empty cup down in front of her. Out of instinct, Blake reached for it and went to take it to the sink nearby. When she walked back, Yang was smirking at her. “So, Blake, can I buy you a drink?”

Blake let out a laugh and leaned against the counter. “You could, or you can buy me dinner on Saturday at six. If you’re available.”

“Wow, that was smooth.” Yang laughed.

“Not as smooth as when you asked me.”

“Yeah that was pretty smooth.” Looking at Blake, Yang smiled. “But sure, dinner sounds great.”

“Great.” Leaning forward, Blake was happy to see that Yang had also leaned towards her. Their lips touched briefly before there was a loud whoop of joy coming from behind her. When Blake pulled back and turned around, she saw that Sun and Scarlet were both cheering and clapping. Blake growled before turning back to Yang who was smiling. “I wish we didn’t have an audience.”

“It’s not that bad. They’re happy for you.” Yang kissed her again.

“I know, I just wish they weren’t so loud about it.” Blake sighed but smiled. “As long as they don’t do that every time we kiss, I’ll be okay.”

“I don’t know…I kind of like it.”

“Of course, you do. Oh, did you want another drink?”

“Sure, sweetheart.” Before Blake could move away, Yang grabbed her hand and pulled her back to kiss her once again.

That was definitely something Blake could get used to. She quickly made her drink before taking it back to her, the smile on her face never leaving. She unfortunately had to go and do inventory, so she let Yang know before leaving towards the stockroom. While she was back there taking note of everything they had to order, Blake’s mind kept going back to Yang.

She was still wondering on how she had managed to find someone as wonderful as her. For once, she really felt like she was supposed to be this happy; she was supposed to be with someone exactly like Yang. Once she finished with her inventory, she walked out from the back and leaned against the doorframe. Yang was talking to Neptune again and they both began laughing not long after. Blake felt a warm feeling spread through her chest and her gaze never left the gorgeous woman who was sitting with one of her best friends. This is how it’s supposed to be.

“I deserve this.” Blake said to herself. “I deserve her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter finished! I'm happy I was able to finish this when I did. Fifteen chapters down! I'm so excited that I've made it this far and I'm looking forward to what's next.
> 
> How is everyone doing? I hope everyone is doing well and taking care of themselves physically and mentally. I return back to work on Monday and I'm both happy and sad. I miss all my work friends but I'm also sad because I don't want to go back lol.
> 
> Thank you again for all your reviews and kudos! They seriously mean the world to me and I get so happy knowing that you guys are enjoying reading my crazy little story. Until next time! <3
> 
> @VioletSkye413


	16. Chapter Sixteen

For the rest of the month, everything was perfect. Being with Yang was as easy as breathing; natural and effortless. Before their dinner on Saturday, Yang took Blake for a ride on Bumblebee; they drove all along the coast before stopping at the beach. They kicked off their shoes and walked barefoot in the ocean, hand in hand.

The smell of the salty air had Blake missing the sandy beaches of Menagerie and she found herself talking to Yang about her home island.

“The water is crystal clear and always warm. When I was a child, I loved going to the tide pools to see all the different sea creatures living in them.”

“It sounds really peaceful.”

“The next time I go I’ll bring you with me.”

The smile Yang gave her shone brighter than the sun. “I’d like that very much, sweetheart.”

Not long after, they went and sat down on a nearby bench so their feet could dry. It was during this time that Yang began to talk a little about her childhood.

“Me and Ruby grew up on Patch; it’s a small island south of Vale. My dad and mom used to take us to the beaches there every weekend during the summer. They were a lot nicer than the beaches here but I’m sure they don’t compare to the beaches in Menagerie.”

“Maybe not in looks, but I’m sure memory wise the beaches on Patch are quite beautiful.”

Yang looked off into the ocean after that, her face becoming pensive. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Blake’s ears twitched at her tone of voice; instinctually, she moved closer to her and rested her head on her shoulder, her hand seeking out the warmth of the girl next to her. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah…” she paused for a moment before turning to look at her, giving a small smile and squeezing her hand. “That’s a story for another day. For now, I want to enjoy the beach some more with you.”

“Well, let’s go then.” Blake spoke while standing up, pulling Yang with her. “Should we go back into the water?”

“That depends, how upset would you be if I threw you in the ocean?”

“Very, very upset.” Blake said seriously. “I don’t have a change of clothes and I refuse to go eat anywhere smelling like the ocean.”

“Hmm…I think you’ll forgive me.”

“What do you – oh my gods, Yang!” suddenly, Blake was lifted into the air and thrown over Yang’s shoulder. She let out a scream that was followed by Yang’s laughter. They were quite a distance away from the ocean, so Blake began to struggle. “Yang don’t you dare!”

“It’s just a little water, Blakey!” Yang laughed.

The crashing of the waves grew closer and by this point Blake was laughing so hard that she couldn’t even fight her off. She heard splashing and felt some water spray her feet as she waited for the inevitable surge of water. Instead, Yang set her gently onto the wet sand, the water coming up to her knees and when Blake made eye contact with her, she could see the soft smile that she was realizing was only for her.

“Why did you stop?” Blake asked curiously.

“Because you didn’t want to be thrown in. I’m not that much of a jerk. Besides, it would really suck to ride back on Bumblebee wet.”

“You’re such a jerk.” Blake said with a laugh.

“I could have thrown you in anyways!” Yang laughed. She looked out over the ocean and let out a sigh. “I really do love coming here though. It just makes me feel so at ease.” She looked down at her and smiled. “Ready to leave?”

Blake nodded and started walking out of the water, turning back once she was a few feet away from Yang. The blonde was still staring out at the ocean and when she saw how beautiful she looked, Blake could only stare in awe. Well, at least for a short period of time.

“Yang, how mad would you be if I tackled you into the ocean?”

“Huh?”

Before Yang could fully process what Blake had said, the cat Faunus was running full force at her and she jumped on her back. Blake’s momentum was just enough to get the blonde to fall, causing her to let out her own short scream before it ended with both of them landing in the warm ocean water. Blake was the first to emerge out followed by Yang who immediately started laughing, causing Blake to laugh along with her.

“I can’t believe you did that!” Yang continued laughing. Blake was still technically on her back, so she shifted to where they were both facing each other. “You’re very sneaky, you know that right?”

“It’s just a little water, Yang.” Blake teased, throwing Yang’s words back at her. “Looks like we get to ride back on Bumblebee wet.”

Yang sighed but smiled. “It was worth it.” She reached forward and pushed Blake’s bangs out of the way.

It was Blake who leaned in first to kiss her. The salty taste of the water was present on her lips and she pulled away a few seconds later. “You taste like the ocean.”

She laughed. “So do you. Come on, let’s get out of here and attempt to dry off.”

Blake got up first and she reached down to pull Yang up, she half expected the blonde to pull her back in but was happy when she pulled herself up instead. They walked out of the ocean hand in hand and made their way back to their shoes. Blake began to wring out her wet hair and clothes and Yang did the same. There was no way they would be able to dry off enough, no matter how long they sat down in the sun. They both walked back to Bumblebee still holding hands and Yang sighed as she grabbed the spare helmet she had for Blake, handing it over to her.

The ride back into the city was extremely uncomfortable. Blake feared that she would slide right off with how wet her clothes was but was happy when they made it back in one piece. At a stop light, Blake asked her what it was they were going to do.

“I can drop you off at home so you can change. I’ll go home and do the same and meet you back there?”

Blake agreed with the plan and the light changed shortly after. Yang made her way towards Sea Monkeys and once they were outside, Blake carefully got off the bike and removed her helmet, tucking it under her arm.

“I’ll see you soon?”

“Yup! Just keep the helmet for now and I’ll be back in about twenty minutes or so.”

“Be careful.” Leaning forward she gave Yang a small kiss on the lips before moving away. Yang waved bye to her but waited for her to go upstairs.

Making her way inside, Blake immediately went to her room and stripped out of her wet clothes. She was a little sad that she wasn’t going to be able to wear the outfit she had planned on, but she shrugged her shoulders and threw it in her dirty clothes. Grabbing her robe off the back of her door, she went to the bathroom and started the shower. Fifteen minutes later, she was drying off her hair when her scroll began to ring.

“Hey, babe.” She answered.

_“Hey I’m outside.”_

“That was fast.” Blake set down her towel and started making her way towards the front door. “I’m on my way to open the door.”

Not long after, she unlocked the door and opened it to see Yang standing in front of her, her blonde hair still a little wet from her own shower. She was wearing a pair of cut off shorts and a yellow tank top with grey stripes and a pair of all white converse. Yang looked at her up and down and swallowed before giving her a smile.

Blake felt her face growing red and she moved aside to let her in. After closing and locking the front door, she turned around to face her. “As you can see, I’m not ready yet.”

“I don’t mind. I’ll just sit here and wait for you.”

“You can wait in my room if you want. I usually change in my closet.” Blake suggested. Yang only nodded her head before following her down the hall to her bedroom. Blake went back to the bathroom to retrieve her towel and continued to towel dry her hair before walking into her bedroom.

Yang was sitting down on her bed, her scroll in her hand. “What did you feel like eating?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest.” She replied while walking into her closet. Deciding on a simple black dress, she set it aside and exited so she could get some undergarments from her dresser. “Name some places and we’ll pick one.”

Yang made a hum of agreement and began naming different restaurant while Blake went to get dressed. If they were going to go eat somewhere, she’d rather not wear a short dress if they were going to ride Bumblebee, so she placed the dress back and pulled out some white high waisted shorts and a black loose fitting shirt with the moon phases on the front.

“What about Menagerian food?” Yang asked.

“If we’re going to eat Menagerian food then I’d rather just make it.” Blake commented while exiting her closet again. Yang turned to look at her and her mouth once again opened at the sight of her. Blake began to blush. “Are you going to look at me like that all the time?”

“Yes.” Yang answered right away. “Always.”

She smiled and rolled her eyes before going and laying in the bed next to her. Yang had her scroll opened to a list of restaurants that were in the area and she was currently looking at one place that claimed to have authentic Menagerian food.

“Don’t ever get Menagerian food from there. It is definitely not authentic.” Blake said in a serious tone before looking at Yang. “Why don’t I just cook? You did a lot of driving today.”

“I don’t mind driving. But if you want to cook I won’t oppose the idea either.”

“If you really want Menagerian food then I’ll just cook. It won’t be as great as my mom’s, but it’ll be alright.” Laying on her back, she stared up at the ceiling. She felt Yang shift and looked briefly to see that she was now laying on her side facing her. “I can make us poke bowls. Or even manapua…no that’ll take too long.”

“I’m fine with poke bowls. I’ve had that a few times whenever I’ve eaten Menagerian food and I liked it.”

“Are you sure? There’s other things I can make.”

“That’s fine.”

After agreeing, Blake got up from bed and made her way to the kitchen to see if she had everything that she needed. She felt her ears droop as she realized she was missing key ingredients. It would seem as if they needed to go shopping…but if they were to do that then they might as well go out to eat somewhere. Blake looked around again and realized she had all the ingredients to make curry…which would definitely be faster than manapua.

“Do you like curry?” she called out.

“Yes!” Came Yang’s reply.

With that being all the confirmation she needed, she quickly set to work on getting all of the things she would need. Once that was done, she set up her pot before double checking that she had everything. Satisfied that she did, she went back to her bedroom to grab her scroll, her heart soaring with happiness at Yang laying in her bed – using her pillow – looking at videos. She reached for her scroll that she left on her bed but before she got up, she leaned over and gave Yang a kiss on the forehead. Yang looked at her curiously before smiling, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

Going back into the kitchen, she set to work on getting everything prepared. Selecting her usual playlist, she hit shuffle and began to cut up the chicken that she was going to use. It only took her about fifteen minutes to get everything prepped before she began to cook everything. She began to daydream as she got the rice out from the pantry and made her way back to the counter. As she was measuring out the rice, she thought back on the day she told her parents about her and Yang becoming official. Her mom had been so happy that she literally started screaming; Ghira had come running into the room asking what was wrong only to be annoyed when Kali told him that her and Yang were now a couple. He congratulated her and “scolded” Kali for scaring him. They had chatted for a little bit longer when her mom finally dropped the question.

_“Will you be bringing her here for Christmas?”_ she had asked.

“We…haven’t talked about anything like that. We’ve only been officially together for a few weeks.”

_“Well she’s more than welcome to come to Menagerie with you, if you decide to come home for Christmas. Also, for Thanksgiving.”_

It was a thought that had been on her mind since her mom had brought it up. What would they be doing for Christmas now that they were an official couple? They were already in October, so the next somewhat holiday would be Halloween, which she assumed would be spent together. She would have to ask her about it later. But that still left Thanksgiving and Christmas, not to mention New Years. Or her birthday. Now that she thought about it…she had no idea when Yang’s birthday even was.

She stirred the curry briefly before measuring out the amount of rice that she would need. As she was doing this, she heard the familiar noise of her bed before the padding of footsteps coming out from her bedroom. Yang came to stand in the kitchen; she heard the beeping of her scroll as she wrote something. A few minutes later, she heard the scroll ding as she received a text message.

Yang hummed. “Ruby wants to know what we’re doing later.”

Blake lowered the heat for the rice before placing a lid on top of it. “I didn’t really have anything planned. I just kind of figured we’d be lazy now that we aren’t going to go anywhere.”

The blonde nodded at her answer before going and sitting down and the kitchen table, her eyes glued to the screen in front of her. They stayed in comfortable silence as Blake went through her own scroll. The message thread she had with the guys (which she currently had muted; they can be super annoying) was still going on from a few hours ago. Sun was insistent that they spend her day off at the bar, but she didn’t want to. Blake knew that Yang wouldn’t mind spending it at the bar, but she wanted a change of scenery since they were always there to begin with.

She was responding to Sun when she heard Yang hum again. “She wants to know if we want to do something with her and Weiss. Something about a double date. I let her know that we were going to be having dinner soon but that I’d let you know.”

Blake looked up at her; Yang was already staring at her, her scroll laying on the table. “I suppose we could do something after we’re done eating.” She looked down at her own scroll, Sun was sending the same message over and over – _Come hang out with us!_ She sighed heavily. “Sun is being insistent that we hang out with him at the bar, but I’d much rather do something with Ruby and Weiss. We can always invite them over here for dinner and catch a late movie.”

“You sure? We can always wait another weekend.”

“No, I’m fine with that.” Blake smiled at her. “Go ahead and invite them over; we can decide for sure what we do when they get here.”

An hour later, all four of them were seated around Blake and Sun’s kitchen table, eating curry and laughing. Ruby was talking about the most recent customer at Branwen’s Garage and Yang was laughing loudly as the brunette was explaining how this individual had tried to fix their car themselves.

“Guys, I am not joking! This guy poured oil all over the inside of his car. That is such a big no-no! Uncle Qrow had to excuse himself so he could take a breather. I feel bad for laughing as much as I am; this guy really thought he was helping.”

“Even I know not to do that.” Blake said with a laugh. “I hope you’ll be able to fix it.”

“Oh yeah, it’ll just take a while. He was so embarrassed.”

“Can’t say I blame him.” Yang commented while taking another bite of food. “Blake, you are seriously the best cook ever.”

The cat Faunus blushed but thanked her as she took a sip of her water. Ruby was nodding her head in agreement as she shoved another fork full of food in her mouth. Weiss was looking at her girlfriend with a mixture of affection and disgust. They finished eating in comfortable silence and it was only after the kitchen was cleaned that the subject of where they were going to go now was brought up.

“I figured we could go bowling.” Ruby suggested as she went to lay down on the couch.

“I’d rather not wear shoes that everyone else wears.” Weiss said with obvious disgust in her voice.

“Don’t worry, princess, the clean them.” Yang rolled her eyes. “It’s been a good while since we’ve gone bowling.”

Blake honestly couldn’t remember the last time she went. “I think that’ll be fun. Sorry Weiss but you are kind of outnumbered here.” Weiss huffed in annoyance but relented, nonetheless.

She honestly had no idea how double dates were supposed to go. She figured they were like regular dates, but even those were foreign to her. She and Adam rarely went on dates; the only time they did was for their anniversary. Blake mentally shook herself; now was not the time to be thinking about that.

They had all piled into Blake’s car; she was more than happy to drive everyone. It just meant that she got to dictate what they listened to on the radio. The car ride was mainly spent with the sisters talking back and forth to one another. How did they manage to find topics to talk about? Weiss and Blake both were content with comfortable silences filled with music. That definitely wasn’t going to sit well with Yang and Ruby.

The bowling alley was only ten minutes away and after they arrived and parked, they headed inside. Blake had known it would be loud, but her ears still went back on instinct. Yang squeezed her hand and smiled at her, instantly putting her at ease.

Weiss was the one who paid for everything; she waved away Yang’s protest and offer to give her money, insisting that it was just easier this way for everyone. Once Weiss was out of earshot, Blake whispered to her that they’d put their half in her wallet later when she wasn’t looking.

Their shoes and lane picked out, they went and began to set up for their game. Ruby was in charge of setting everything up while Weiss and Yang went to get them something to drink.

“What nickname should I put for Weiss?” Ruby asked.

“Just put ‘Ice Queen.’ She needs the full-on experience of having her least favorite nickname being the name chosen for her.”

Ruby laughed and wrote it down before writing “Rubes” as hers. Blake sighed heavily when she brunette asked for hers, letting her type out “Blakey B” in the space for her. For Yang, she put “Little Dragon” and hit start, the first person to go being Blake.

Weiss and Yang arrived a short while later and Weiss scoffed at her nickname before handing Ruby her chocolate milkshake. Yang laughed while handing Blake her iced tea which she gladly accepted before taking a sip. They didn’t linger long, they all went to pick out a bowling ball to use and once everyone picked, Blake walked up to the lane and hoped to the gods that she wouldn’t get a gutter ball. Which thankfully, she didn’t.

On the first try anyways.

Blake had at least managed to knock down half the pins and was hoping to get a spare, but she watched in horror as the ball went a little too far to the right and rolled into the gutter. She turned around with an embarrassed smile and covered her face with her hand. Sneaking a peek at Yang, she saw the amused smile on her face and the pure adoration she had for her reflected in her eyes. Blake went and sat down next to her where Yang automatically wrapped her arm around her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“You did good.”

“No, I didn’t.” Blake replied with a laugh. “But thanks anyways.”

It was Weiss’ turn and they watched with silent laughter as Ruby tried to help her as best she could with throwing the ball down the lane. Weiss definitely tried but the ball went into the gutter on both tries, causing the heiress’ face to turn bright red. Blake was trying her hardest not to laugh but Yang was clutching her sides with laughter. Ruby had her wrapped up in a hug, a smile on her own face as she comforted her.

“Alright, let the expert show you how it’s done.” Yang announced as she finally stopped laughing. She placed another kiss on Blake’s cheek before standing up and sauntering over to pick up her ball.

Weiss went to sit down in Yang’s once occupied seat, her face still red from her gutter ball. She had her arms crossed over her chest and Blake couldn’t help but smile as her best friend pouted. She wrapped her arm around her and pulled her closer, comforting her.

“Everyone gets gutter balls, Weiss.”

“It wasn’t that funny. This is literally my first-time bowling.”

“I’m sure you’ll be a pro by the time we leave.” Blake nudged her head against Weiss’ and was happy to see the heiress’ hands drop to her lap. “Remember, we’re here to have fun. This isn’t a competition.”

“Tell that to your girlfriend over there.”

Blake sighed before looking at Yang who was standing with her ball in her hand, chatting with Ruby. “She’ll figure it out later.”

Weiss scoffed. “I doubt that.”

They both watched as Ruby eventually went and sat down in front of the computer screen and continued to stare as Yang went up to the beginning of the lane and inhaled deeply before lifting up her bowling ball; she swung her right arm back behind her before swinging the ball forward, letting go of it. The ball hit all of the pins in one go and she saw the animation on the screen, indicating that she got a strike. Yang turned around and looked at them, a smug smile on her face.

“And that’s the way you do it.”

There was collective eye rolling as Yang made her way to Ruby who still high fived her before standing up to bowl. Sitting down on the other side of Weiss (since it was the only seat available) Yang slung her arm around Weiss as well, her fingertips brushing Blake’s bare shoulder.

“So, Princess Gutter Ball, how are you enjoying your first bowling experience?” the blonde teased.

“I hate you.”

Yang only laughed before turning her attention towards Ruby who had already gone once, knocking down more than half of her pins. She was waiting for the ball to come back and when it did, she threw the ball a second time, getting a spare. They all cheered and Ruby blushed but gave a small bow.

And so, it went, all of them taking turns and after each turn (and more gutter balls) they would give each other high fives. Yang ended up winning the first game, which surprised no one at all. They all agreed to another game and as Blake went up for her turn, Yang followed behind her.

“Before you throw another gutter ball—”

“Ha, ha.”

“—Let’s take a picture together!”

A picture? Blake thought as she saw Yang take out her scroll. Couples did things like that, right? Blake mentally chided herself; she didn’t have to go on some long mental ramble on how she hadn’t done almost all of the things she was doing with Yang, with Adam. Hadn’t she already concluded that Yang and Adam were nothing alike?

“Fine, I guess I’ll take a picture with you.” Blake teased. Yang stuck her tongue out at her and held her scroll up, the camera app already open.

“Say cheese!” Yang said cheerfully.

Looking at Yang in the camera, Blake felt her smile expand. The smile Yang was giving was radiant and contagious. Blake honestly felt like everyone who saw her smile just had to smile as well, because that’s exactly how she felt whenever she was around her. As Yang pulled the camera back to her, she went through the pictures and settled on one; she began to laugh.

“You’re not even looking at the lens!” Yang teased.

“That’s because I was looking at something better.” Blake clarified. Yang turned her head towards her and once their gazes locked, Blake leaned in and kissed her. Her ear twitched as she heard the shutter click. Breaking their kiss, she looked at her blankly. “Really?”

“I figured we should have a picture of us kissing. That way we can look at it whenever we are away from each other.”

“Do you plan on being away from me?” Blake asked, a smirk growing on her face as she waited for Yang’s answer.

The smile she gave her made Blake’s knees go weak. “Nope! I don’t know how to break this to you sweetheart, but I plan on being with you forever.”

“Forever is a long time.” Blake smiled at her.

“Will you two stop flirting so Blake can bowl?” Weiss asked, a playful edge to her voice.

“Why? Do you want to get more gutter balls?” Yang shot back.

Weiss made a noise of annoyance and Ruby let out a small laugh. Yang gave Blake one last kiss before returning to her seat. The words Yang said were repeating over and over inside her head, but they didn’t scare her the way they should have. Call it intuition, a gut feeling, destiny or whatever else there is out there, but Blake genuinely believed the words Yang said; that they would be together forever. Or at least something equivalent to it. With these thoughts going on in her head, she faced the pins and let out a breath before throwing the ball at the pins. She knocked all of them down in one go and smiled as she heard the loud cheering of the woman who had managed to capture her heart.

~*~*~*~

The game ended with Yang winning first, followed by Ruby, Blake, and lastly, Weiss. The heiress pouted the whole time as Yang cheered and fist bumped. Ruby was right alongside her and Blake couldn’t help but laugh at the whole ordeal. They were currently sitting down in the food court area while Yang and Ruby went to return their shoes. Weiss was still pouting but was now on her scroll, dealing with some business that she had been putting off all day. Blake was munching on some French fries that Yang had bought, claiming that eating something from the bowling alley was a must.

They left not long later, deciding not to dwell longer than they already had. Before they could leave though, Yang was stopped by some fans and she began to chat with them for a bit. They were even talking to Ruby, who was recognized by another male in the group. A few more words were exchanged, and Yang agreed to take a picture with the group of them, Ruby included. Blake volunteered to take their picture and she took turns, taking a photo with each of their scrolls. When they were done, they thanked Blake as well as Ruby and Yang and gave all the girls high fives, including Weiss who had just been standing there watching the whole thing.

Blake loved the whole exchange between Yang and her fans. They had been respectful and were mindful of her boundaries. As they were leaving, Yang had reached between them and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. Blake gravitated closer to her and squeezed her hand gently. This was the kind of intimacy that Blake craved and was so happy that she had found.

As they piled into the Blake’s car, her scroll went off with an incoming text message; it was from Sun. “Can you see what Sun wants?” she asked while handing her scroll over to Yang. “There’s no lock on it.”

Yang took her scroll and opened the message up. “He wants us to hang out at Sea Monkeys. He said he’s sad that we had a double date without him and Neptune.”

“Of course, he is.” Blake mumbled. Looking in the rearview mirror, she made eye contact with Weiss. “Want to go get a drink?”

Weiss sighed. “If we must.”

Blake’s eyes drifted to Ruby and the brunette nodded in agreement. Yang was already texting Sun back, presumably to let him know that they were going over. Once she was done, she locked the screen and set her scroll down in the center console. The blonde looked at her and smiled, which she returned before Blake started her car and set off towards the bar.

“We need a new hang out spot.” Weiss sighed as she sipped her strawberry margarita before making a face. “It’s too strong.”

Blake rolled her eyes. “You should know by now that when Scarlet makes your drinks he makes them strong. He’s only been making them like that since forever.”

“Which is why I only like when you make them.”

Again, the cat Faunus rolled her eyes before taking a sip of her own drink. They had only been at Sea Monkeys for ten minutes and Yang had already been dragged away by Sun so she could meet some of his other friends. She could spot both of their blond hair from where she was sitting at and the smile on her face seemed to grow wider. Weiss noticed this – because of course she did – and this time she was the one who rolled her eyes.

“I like it here.” Ruby decided. “I wouldn’t mind coming more often, especially if I get to hang out with all of you guys.” She turned to look at Blake. “You’re practically my sister-in-law now so I need to make sure that I’m comfortable hanging out with you.”

Blake choked on her drink at Ruby’s admission and Weiss let out a very un-Weiss like laugh. She joined in the laughter soon afterwards and smiled at Ruby. They talked about the day that they had, and Blake spoke about their midday trip to the beach that ended with the both of them in the ocean. Ruby laughed and Weiss let out a small chuckle before taking another sip of her drink, making another face in the process.

Not long after, Yang came back and took a seat across from Blake since that was the only spot available. She let out a long sigh and reached for Blake’s drink and took a drink, making a face. “That’s really strong.” She commented.

“Scarlet makes them strong.” Blake shrugged. “He makes up for it by putting a lot of cherries in here.”

Yang nodded her head but didn’t say anything. Sun came by seconds later and placed a strawberry sunrise in front of Yang, claiming that it wasn’t as good as Blake’s, but hopefully she’d still enjoy it. The blonde laughed and said she would enjoy it greatly before taking a big drink from it.

As the night progressed, they all chatted with each other when the subject of Halloween came up; it was only a few weeks away and Blake was curious to know what was going to happen.

“What do you guys normally do?” she asked when there was a small break in the conversation.

“We celebrate usually since –”

“It’s my birthday!” Ruby interrupted Yang.

“Your birthday is on Halloween?” Blake clarified.

“Yup! My birthday actually lands on a Saturday this year, so I want to have a huge party! You should totally come, Blake! It’s obviously a costume party and whoever wears the best costume gets a prize!”

“Prize?”

“It’s usually tickets to a theme park or movie vouchers.” Yang shrugged. “For her birthday last year, we had a huge party at our dad’s house since she was turning twenty-one and she was passed out by eleven. Before she passed out though, she claimed our friend Nora the winner.” Yang smirked. “You’ll never guess who she dressed up as.”

Weiss covered her face and let out a sigh. Blake began to laugh. “Let me guess, she dressed up as you?”

“You guessed correctly!” Yang laughed. “Ruby only picked her because she was so drunk that she honestly thought she was Weiss.”

Blake laughed loudly at that while Ruby rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment and Weiss’ face turned a darker shade of red. It was cute to know that even before they were a couple that Ruby thought so much of Weiss. Neptune came by a little while later and sat with them, letting out a sigh and saying that he was tired. He had to work a double and Blake felt a little guilty since she had asked for the night off in the first place. He waved away her concern and gave her a smile. It’s nice to see you happy, he told her softly; soft enough where only she would hear. Her gaze slid over to Yang who was laughing at something Ruby had just said and her own smile appeared.

Yang’s lilac gaze slid over to her and she gave her a knowing smile, a smile that sent a shockwave through Blake’s body. Where the hell did that come from? She thought to herself as she grabbed a cherry from her drink. She ate it and set the stem down on a paper towel and chewed on it slowly. Maybe it had to do with what Yang was wearing; this was the first time Blake had seen her wearing shorts and her legs were toned and seemed to be soft to the touch. Her shirt was form fitting and hugged her chest nicely. Of course, these were all just her physical features. Maybe it was because Yang only had eyes for her; she had seen a few guys and girls staring at her in a way that made Blake want to march over and tell them to back off. Yang was driving her crazy without even knowing it.

Grabbing another cherry from her drink, Blake placed the fruit in her mouth and pulled it off the stem with her teeth. Setting the stem next to the first one she discarded, she began to chew. A motion to her right caught her attention and she looked to see Yang grab the cherry stem she had just set down. She gave her a smirk before sticking the stem into her mouth. Blake glanced towards Weiss who was having a conversation with Ruby and both girls weren’t paying attention to what was going on with the other two occupants of the table. Giving Yang her undivided attention she watched as the blonde worked her mouth; seconds later, she pulled out the stem and set it down on the table. Two knots were on the stem and Blake felt her breath hitch as she looked back at Yang. Her eyes flashed red momentarily before taking a sip of her drink, acting as if nothing had happened.

Okay, so maybe Yang knew exactly what she was doing to her.

Blake tried to keep her cool as she stared at the cherry stem Yang had placed on the napkin. She was acting as if nothing had happened and was talking to Weiss and Ruby who had randomly included her into their conversation. Two can play this game, she thought.

Reaching forward, Blake grabbed the other stem, being sure to catch Yang’s attention as she did so. Lilac eyes never left hers as she placed the stem in her mouth. Seconds later, Blake took the stem out and placed it next to Yang’s, the double knot she just made lying next to the other.

Yang looked first at the stem before slowly moving her gaze up to meet Blake’s. A slow smirk made its way across her features and Blake knew it matched her own. Yang opened her mouth to say something but was cut off when Sun called out Blake’s name.

“Can you please come and help me really quick?” he all but begged.

Blake let out a huff of annoyance but got up. In order to get behind the bar, she had to walk behind Yang and as she did, she caressed her hip. “I’ll be back, baby.” She whispered in her ear. She saw Yang physically shudder before Blake left to go and see what the hell Sun wanted.

“I don’t remember where we left the new crate of whiskey.” He explained once she got close enough. “Do you remember?”

“Seriously, Sun?” Blake rolled her eyes and went to the storeroom where the whiskey had been pushed behind an order of beer. “Anything else you need me to get while I’m back here?”

“Nah,” he said with a smile. “Thanks!”

As she made her way back outside, she saw that Ruby and Weiss were standing near the bar and Yang was still at their table. Once she got closer, Weiss looked at her and sighed.

“I’ve got to go. Some things came up at work and I have to go and handle it.”

“Oh, that’s okay.” Blake said. “We’ll hang out another time. Ruby are you leaving too?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna take her to SDC headquarters and then head home. I have some projects I need to work on for Uncle Qrow. Yang said she would go home later.” She said, answering the question that Blake was about to ask.

After saying goodbye to both of them, she made her way back to the table where Yang was staring at her. The look she was giving her had chills going up her spine; the kind that she got when she was reading a good romance novel and a steamy sex scene was coming up. She took slow deliberate steps towards the blonde and once she was close enough, she wrapped her arm around her.

“Hello.” She said softly.

Yang smiled at her. “Hello to you, sweetheart.” She turned her body, so she was now facing Blake. “You talked to Ruby and Weiss?”

“Yes, I’m sad they had to leave but I’m happy that it’s just us two now.”

“So am I.” her smirk returned as she rearranged herself to where Blake was now standing in between her legs; Yang’s hands resting comfortably on her waist. She looked her up and down before speaking. “Are you a library book? Because I’m checking you out.”

Blake stared at her for a moment before she began laughing. She leaned forward and rested her head against Yang’s, still laughing from her lame pick up line. “You are so damn corny; you know that right?”

“I’m aware.” Yang laughed along with her. “I think the real question here is did it work?”

“I’m ashamed to admit that it did work.” Blake smiled even though Yang couldn’t see her. She moved her head just enough so she could lay a kiss on Yang’s chin. “It worked so well that I’m waiting for you to take me home.”

She felt Yang swallow as she kissed her again along her jaw. “I can definitely do that. We could be at my apartment in ten minutes.”

“We could…” Blake trailed up to her ear where she kissed again; Yang inhaled sharply. “But my house is closer.”

She finally pulled away to catch Yang’s intense stare. The look she was giving her had Blake swallowing; she had never been this bold before, but she was loving every minute of it. She took a step back and grabbed hold of Yang’s hand.

“Take me home.” She said softly.

Yang needed no further prompt then that; she stood up from her seat and wrapped her arm around Blake’s lower back. “Lead the way.”

~*~*~*~

As soon as they entered Blake’s bedroom, she was hit again with nerves. The atmosphere was charged with want and Blake could feel it across her skin as Yang looked down into her eyes, her smile never leaving her face. Blake boldly reached out to her and pulled her closer, letting their lips find each other in the dark room. Yang instantly wrapped her arms around the smaller woman in front of her, deepening their kiss. Blake let her hands explore Yang’s body, her hands finding their way underneath her shirt.

Yang let out a soft moan and Blake’s ears perked up at the unfamiliar sound. She opened her mouth and licked the blonde’s lower lip, who automatically opened up her own. Their tongues touched and Blake let out a moan of her own. Yang deepened their kiss, her own hands trailing down to the bottom of Blake’s tank top where she began to pull it up but stopped. Before she could ask anything, Blake pulled away briefly to pull of her own shirt, leaving her in only her black bra and shorts.

Lilac eyes flickered down before going back to meet Blake’s intense stare. Her lips went back to hers for only a short while before Blake broke the kiss again and reached for Yang’s own shirt and pulled it off, revealing her bright yellow bra. Blake had never felt this bold before. Having Yang in front of her and knowing that she felt the same way was enough for her to press on. She had backed her up to the edge of her bed, only knowing she had done so when Yang no longer moved back.

She didn’t shy away when Yang’s hands made their way lower, her fingertips playing with the edge of her jean shorts. Blake lowered her own hands to Yang’s shorts and managed to get the button popped off before Yang pulled away, catching her breath.

“Blake…is this what you want?” she whispered into the darkness.

She paused before answering, taking a small amount of time to think about her answer. She felt so at ease with Yang; so comfortable and at home with her. She had never felt like this with him; with anyone. She looked into Yang’s eyes, seeing how her eyes reflected how open and considerate she was being. Blake knew that if she told Yang she wasn’t ready; they’d stop and just hang out. But right now, Blake wanted more with her.

“Yes,” she said. “I want you.”

Yang smiled at her softly before leaning down to capture Blake’s lips in a gentle kiss. The hands that had stayed on her waist began to slowly travel upwards and Blake hoped that Yang wouldn’t feel the different scars that were scattered across her body. Her breath hitched as Yang’s hands rested beneath her breasts. She anticipated them to keep moving upwards, but instead she felt Yang’s fingers trailing along under her left breast. The blonde broke their kiss and tilted her head, curious.

“Is that your tattoo?” Yang asked.

Oh. Right. Blake had forgotten all about that one detail. “Yes.”

“What is it? Can I see it?” Yang paused. “Fuck, did I ruin the mood?”

Blake let out a laugh. “No, you didn’t. But yes, you can see it.” She guided her towards her side of the bed and made Yang sit. She flicked the lamp on that was on her end table, illuminating the room in a soft yellow glow.

“Wow.” Yang said softly. “You’re beautiful.”

She leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on Yang’s lips. “So are you.”

Yang’s eyes darted from Blake’s face to the area of where her tattoo was located. She stared at it for some time before looking up at Blake curiously. “Your name?”

“Yes, my name.” the curious look never left Yang’s face and Blake sighed before looking down. She couldn’t see the tattoo from the angle, but she could still picture it clearly. It had been done in white ink, so it wasn’t very noticeable unless you were really looking. Her name was written in neat cursive and followed along the curve of her left breast.

“I got the tattoo as a reminder…” Blake began to explain. “After I left Adam…there were a lot of rumors going around. None of them were good, and it didn’t help that Adam was playing the victim since I left while he was in Anima. He had the whole “jilted lover” affect going for him. They were calling me a slut, a whore. Even though I knew the truth on why I left…” Blake paused. She wasn’t sure if this was the right time to tell her. There was already a shift happening; she hadn’t meant for the topic to come to this. She hadn’t even planned on Yang being so interested in seeing her tattoo, but it made sense all the same. Blake sighed and trailed her fingers over the slightly raised flesh of her tattoo. “For a long time, the words that they spoke made me feel as if maybe they were right. Even though I knew they weren’t, they were spoken often enough that it was easy to believe it. I realized later though that only I could define me; only I knew how he really was. Sage took me to the place where he gets his tattoos and I got this; my name.”

“Why your name?” Yang finally asked, her voice breaking the temporary silence.

“To remind myself that I wasn’t the ugly names that the media and his fans were calling me. That I was still Blake.” She hadn’t realized she was crying until she felt moisture hitting her chest. Yang stood up quickly from the bed and pulled her into a hug.

“I’m sorry sweetheart.” Yang whispered as she pulled her closer. “I didn’t mean to make you upset from this.”

“It wasn’t you; I promise.” Blake replied as she held her just as close. She let out a small laugh. “Looks like I’m the one who ruined the mood.”

“No, you didn’t, baby.” Yang placed a kiss on her forehead before kissing her nose. “Did you want to continue where we left off?”

“I…I kind of just want to lay down now.” Blake admitted.

“That’s fine with me, sweetheart.” She said softly as she kissed her on the forehead again. Blake hadn’t expected what was about to happen. In an instant, Yang had her flipped and tossed her on the bed where Blake let out a squeal. Yang began to laugh at Blake’s stunned expression. “Sorry, Blake, I just had to do that.”

“You’re a jerk.” She said with a laugh. Blake bit her bottom lip, a motion that didn’t go unnoticed by Yang. “That was kind of hot though.”

Yang began to blush before she buried her face into the crook of Blake’s neck, giving it a lingering kiss that had Blake arching her back. The blonde pulled away and gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I know you said you wanted to stop.”

“It’s fine, babe.” Blake gave her a smile. The way she landed had her on her back and Yang was resting half of her body on top of her. She embraced her and let out a content sigh. “I’m happy you’re here, Yang.”

“I’m happy to be here, Blake.” She said softly. “And I’m happy that you’re here. I’m just so happy that I met you and that you’re my girlfriend.”

Blake’s face grew red as she let out a giggle. “You’re so cute.”

Yang didn’t say anything else as she planted a trail of kisses against Blake’s neck up to her jaw. They snuggled into each other’s warmth and were content with the silence that rested over them. It would only be broken if one of them asked a question; Blake asking Yang if she wanted to go dressed up in a couple’s costume for Halloween and Yang answering yes. Yang asking if Blake would ever want to see Patch and Blake saying of course. Kisses were exchanged but they never became heated. Both girls were happy with how things were at the moment.

They broke apart only momentarily so Yang could remove her shorts, leaving her in only a pair of boy short underwear. Blake could only stare as Yang excused herself so she could use the bathroom; during this time, she removed her own shorts and stayed in her black bikini style underwear. When Yang came back and saw her lying there that way, she stopped mid-step and didn’t tear her eyes away. Blake smiled shyly before brushing her hair out of her face. Yang came back into bed and snuggled close to the raven-haired girl. Blake held onto her and kissed her forehead.

“Do you want a shirt to sleep in?”

“No, I’m fine sleeping like this.”

She somehow managed to pull the blanket over the both of them and Blake laid there in the soft glow of the room. Reaching up, she switched off the lamp, the room becoming dark. Blake held onto Yang closely and slowly, she could feel and hear her breathing becoming even as she fell asleep. Her light snoring began to fill the room and Blake couldn’t help the rumbling that soon followed. Her eyes began to close as she pulled Yang closer to her, her purring growing louder as she fell into a blissful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter posted! Thank you everyone for the reviews and kudos! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm having so much fun writing and I've already started writing chapter seventeen; I am feeling super inspired!
> 
> I hope everyone is still continuing to be safe during these crazy times; I know it can be harder for some people and I completely understand and am here for anyone who may need it.
> 
> Let me know what you guys think and I'll see you all next chapter =)
> 
> Twitter: @VioletSkye413


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW warning after the first few paragraphs.

Blake could hear the gentle sound of laughter. What could possibly be this funny so early in the morning? She slowly opened her eyes and was greeted with soft lilac. The rumbling in her chest began to fade as she suddenly could feel the embarrassment of being caught. Yang slowly brought her hand up and pushed her bangs out of her face, the smile that was on her lips never once fading.

“I didn’t know you could purr.” Yang whispered a few seconds later.

The cat Faunus didn’t answer right away. She visibly swallowed before averting her eyes. “I…only do it when I’m comfortable.”

She looked over and saw that Yang’s eyes had widened as she took in the implications of Blake’s words. She let out a laugh and Blake stared at her curiously; why was she laughing? Before she could get the chance to ask, Yang pulled her closer to her and snuggled her. Surprised, Blake wasn’t sure on how to react at first, but soon she was also laughing and burying her face into Yang’s shoulder.

They stayed that way and eventually Blake began to purr again.

For a long moment, they stayed holding each other. Blake listened for any signs of life inside the apartment but didn’t hear Neptune’s snores or Sun’s random sighs. She snuggled in deeper and smiled to herself; they were alone, and Blake really wanted to continue where they had left off the previous night.

The only question was whether or not Yang wanted to as well.

She pulled away from Yang’s shoulder and met her gaze briefly before kissing her. Yang pulled her closer and Blake was pleasantly surprised to feel her warm skin against her own; she had forgotten that they had slept in only their underwear (honestly, she wasn’t sure on how she could possibly forget that detail). Blake began to trail her fingers over the bare expanse of her skin. Yang’s breath hitched in her throat as Blake’s fingers trailed to the edge of her bra, her fingers slipping in a few inches between the material. Her fingers stayed underneath the material of Yang’s bra and continued on their way towards the clasps. It only took a flick of her wrist and the clasps came undone, Yang letting out a started noise of surprise as her bra became slack.

It was Yang’s turned to pull away, she stared into Blake’s eyes and began to smile as she crashed her lips back against hers, a soft moan leaving her, causing Blake to plunge her tongue into her mouth, her tongue caressing Yang’s. The blonde’s hand when straight into Blake’s hair where she tugged on it gently, causing Blake to let out a moan of her own. As their lips moved in sync with each other, Blake slowly began to remove the straps of Yang’s bra from her shoulders. The blonde sat up briefly and pulled the garment off, tossing it onto the floor.

Yang flipped Blake onto her back, her lips trailing kisses down her jaw and neck. Blake arched her back and let out a small gasp as Yang bit gently onto her neck before sucking, letting go of the tender flesh. Her hands went down farther until they teased the edge of Blake’s underwear; Yang didn’t go any farther than that. Instead, she lightly traced her fingers back up to Blake’s breast where she touched her tattoo ever so gently before letting her hands go higher, cupping her. Blake opened her mouth but not a sound came out. She hadn’t realized she had her eyes closed until she was opening them, and she was looking into the intense gaze of Yang’s eyes.

“Do you want me to stop?” Yang asked, her voice thick with want.

“No,” Blake whispered. “Please don’t stop.”

Yang needed no further prompting. Leaning her head down, she placed another kiss to Blake’s neck before moving lower, her mouth reaching the tops of her breasts. Blake sat up partially, trying to reach behind her to unhook her bra but Yang beat her to it. Using her other hand, she quickly unclasped it and pulled away; she slowly lowered each strap from Blake’s shoulders until the garment was off completely. As lilac eyes gazed down at her, golden ones were taking in the sight before her. Holy hell, Yang had abs for days! Her eyes continued upwards and stopped at her chest, taking in the flushed skin between Yang’s breasts. The intensity of Yang’s stare had Blake’s chest heaving with desire and she wanted more; she _needed_ more. Yang placed open mouthed kisses down the center of her chest between her breast before finally moving towards her left breast where she first placed a kiss before taking her nipple into her mouth.

The moan that Blake let out was loud enough that it raised goosebumps along her skin. Yang lathered her nipple before she suckled. Her other hand began to caress the other breast, her mouth never once letting up. Blake’s hands made their way to Yang’s hair where she intertwined her fingers within the golden locks and tightened her grip. Yang bit down on her nipple, causing Blake to let out a loud gasp. The hand that had once been fondling Blake’s breast now moved down, down towards the top elastic of her underwear and she slipped her fingers partially in the material.

Yang bit her nipple once again, softer this time. She let go with a _pop_ and when she looked into Blake’s eyes, she was surprised to see that they were light red. The intensity of her gaze left Blake feeling like an absolute mess and she could feel herself becoming wetter, feel her arousal spiking. It was almost as if Yang was asking for permission to proceed and with a small nod of her head, Yang’s hand moved lower.

As soon as Yang’s fingers touched her most sensitive of spots, Blake let out a low moan and arched her hips up off the bed. The blonde had barely touched her, and she was already reacting this way. Her finger dipped down lower where the source of her wetness was located, and she stuck a finger in – added another almost as smoothly as she entered the first. In and out, her fingers went, and Blake spread her legs wider. Yang sat up fully and Blake watched through heavy lidded eyes as she continued to thrust her fingers inside of her, curling her fingers slightly, causing Blake to let out another loud moan.

The way Yang was touching her; Blake could feel it resonating in her soul. She hadn’t taken her eyes off of her and was staring at her in awe. Blake wondered what exactly Yang saw in that moment, because with the look she had on her face, she knew it wasn’t the flaws that Blake saw in the mirror.

“You look so beautiful.” Yang whispered.

Her thumb found Blake’s clit and she rubbed in lazy circles, causing the girl beneath her to wither in pleasure. Blake could feel the pressure beginning to build inside of her and she knew it wouldn’t be long. Yang’s touch was sending her higher and higher and with each thrust and each roll of her thumb, was causing Blake’s pleasure to spike. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Yang; the blonde was looking down at where her fingers were, and Blake stared in amazement. When Yang looked up to meet her eyes, she smiled wickedly at her before curling her fingers again, harder this time.

“Yang…” Blake whimpered.

She wasn’t expecting a verbal answer, but she got another hard thrust in response. It didn’t take long at all before Blake began to convulse, her orgasm sweeping through her. She could feel herself tightening around Yang’s fingers and the blonde let out a low moan of her own, thrusting a few more times as Blake rode out her orgasm before withdrawing her fingers from inside her. Blake again watched with hooded eyes as Yang made eye contact with her before she stuck her fingers that had once been inside her, inside of her mouth. She sucked on one finger before moving onto the next, her red gaze never breaking.

Yang laid down next to her, her own chest moving up and down. She pulled Blake close to her and kissed her temple. The cat Faunus still couldn’t move, her legs were like jelly and aftershocks were still coursing through her body. The blonde trailed kisses down Blake’s cheek and lingered on a spot behind her human hear. Blake gasped out her name and felt her back lift off the bed slightly.

“Yes?” she asked with an amused tone. Blake could feel her smile on her skin.

“That was…” Blake paused as she tried to find the right word to describe what she had just felt. “Amazing…and satisfying.”

“Amazing and satisfying?” Yang asked. “The amazing I got, but the satisfying part is leaving me a little confused.”

“I’m satisfied.” Blake answered back. “It’s…been awhile since I’ve had an orgasm like that.”

“When was the last time you had an orgasm that satisfying?”

“A few years ago.” Blake answered honestly. “I was reading this really good book; the buildup was so intense that I just had to make myself cum, too.”

Yang let out a soft giggle. “Over a book, huh?”

“Yes, over a book.” Blake let out a giggle of her own. “It was a really great book.”

“You should tell me about it some time.” She answered while kissing the spot under her ear again.

“I could…or I can show you.”

Blake didn’t wait for her to answer. In once quick motion, she had Yang fully on her back and she was straddling her. The look on Yang’s face was definitely worth it – it was obvious she hadn’t expected Blake to flip her on her back the way she had just done.

She began to trail kisses along her neck, biting onto a particular spot when she heard Yang’s breathing increase. The moan that Yang let out sent shivers down her spine. Blake continued her descent to her chest where she took her nipple into her mouth. She let out another moan and gripped onto her bed sheets.

Blake sucked gently on her nipple before swirling her tongue over the hardened peak. Her chest heaved as Blake continued before switching to the other breast. She didn’t say there long, she gave Yang’s nipple a soft bite before sitting back up.

Gracefully, she climbed off of Yang and stood up at the foot of her bed. Yang’s red gaze never left hers as Blake trailed her fingers down her sides and to her panties where she slid them down her legs. When she looked back into Yang’s eyes, they had reverted back to lilac and she was staring at her in awe. The way she was looking…it was as if she was the most beautiful girl in the whole world.

It was definitely a look she could get used to.

Blake crawled back onto her bed, going between Yang’s lean legs, trailing kisses along her smooth skin. As she reached her center, she laid a single kiss over the top of her underwear, right where she knew Yang wanted her the most. The blonde’s response was to lift her hips and let out a gasp before it ended with her calling out Blake’s name. Her ears twitched at the response and she gave Yang a smile, watching as the girl beneath her visibly swallowed. Softly, she caressed the top of her thighs before grabbing the thin material of her underwear. She pulled them down Yang’s legs and once they passed her knees, Yang hastily kicked them off the rest of the way before she sat up and pulled Blake into a kiss, a kiss that had Blake seeing stars.

She trailed her hands down Yang’s body, feeling every muscle beneath her stomach. Blake reached between them and found her sensitive bud and once she did, Yang pulled away and let out a strangled noise that was between a cry and a laugh. Moving down further, she slowly pushed her finger inside of Yang, causing the blonde woman’s head to fall back, her mouth open in a silent moan. She stayed at the same slow, torturous pace – adding another finger in the process. Blake was completely mesmerized by Yang’s responses.

“Oh, Blake….Blake, Blake, Blake.” The blonde moaned.

Her very verbal responses, Blake smiled before leaning forward and kissing Yang’s lips, increasing the speed of her thrusts. Yang broke the kiss to let out another loud moan that caused Blake’s own pleasure to spike; she was the reason on why Yang was feeling this way. She watched in awe as her body reacted to what she was doing. Yang was spreading her legs wider, trying to take more of what Blake was offering. Blake could see the rippling of her muscles as Yang’s orgasm grew closer. Her gaze drifted up passed the blonde’s heaving chest to settle on her face. Her bangs were sticking to her forehead and her eyes were shut tight; Yang’s mouth was partially opened as she breathed in and out, her breathing ragged.

Blake continued to stare, curling her fingers inside of Yang the same way she had done to her. The blonde’s eyes shot open and she was greeted to lilac eyes instead of red. Blake could see the lust reflecting in her gaze and she smirked as she once again curled her fingers inside of her. Yang let out another strangled moan as she lifted her hips again. Blake found her clit with her thumb and almost as soon as she did, the woman beneath her began to shudder.

“Fuck…Blake! I’m gonna –” her voice cut off as she let out a high-pitched moan as Blake curled her fingers once more.

Blake didn’t tear her eyes away as Yang’s orgasm swept through her, she could feel Yang’s inner walls convulsing around her fingers and it was only after the rippling had subsided that she removed her fingers from inside her.

She just had to know…bringing her fingers up to her mouth, Blake licked one of her digits and moaned. Yang’s taste was a mixture of sweetness with a slight tang, plus something else that Blake couldn’t quite explain. She slid her tongue along her other finger before making eye contact with Yang was staring at her intensely.

“You taste really good.” Blake said huskily. Crawling towards her, she made her way to the blonde’s side and laid down. Yang instantly pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her.

“I liked the way you taste as well.” She said between kisses. “That was…amazing, sweetheart.” She let out a quiet laugh. “All that from a book, huh?”

Blake’s response was to laugh as well then kiss her again; she rested her head on her shoulder and sighed, content. She could hear Yang’s erratic heartbeat and as the minutes passed it began to slow down. She was so happy and content that she began to purr again. Yang let out a laugh and pulled her close – their limbs becoming intertwined with each other – before she placed a gentle kiss to her forehead. Blake felt her eyes becoming heavy and she let herself be lulled to sleep with the rhythmic sound of Yang’s heart.

~*~*~*~

The hand between her thighs is what woke Blake up. She inhaled deeply as a pair of lips found their way to her neck as the hand between her legs began to move up.

“Good morning…I hope this is okay.” Came a soft whisper.

“Yes…” Blake breathed out.

She felt Yang smile on her skin before feeling her fingers on her clit. She took her time exploring her body, eliciting quiet sighs and small moans from Blake. Yang increased the pressure on her clit and the cat Faunus let out a louder moan.

Blake’s ears began to twitch as she heard the familiar sound of the stairs leading up to her apartment creaking. She instantly grabbed Yang’s hand, causing her to stop.

“Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”

“I’m okay and no, you didn’t.” Blake paused before sighing. “It’s just that Sun and Neptune are here…and I don’t want them to hear us.”

“That makes sense.” Removing her hand from between Blake’s thighs, Yang let out a sigh of her own. “They have the worst timing ever.”

Blake laughed and snuggled closer. “Tell me about it.”

“Should we get dressed?”

“No, they won’t come in here and even if they did they would knock first. We’d have plenty of time to cover up. But they also know you stayed here.”

Yang made a noise of acknowledgement but didn’t say anything else. Instead, she pulled Blake closer to her and held onto her. Blake trailed her hand up and down Yang’s stomach and watched transfixed as she reacted to her touch. Blake had never felt more content in her life. Satisfied wasn’t enough of a word to describe how she was feeling at the moment. Everything felt right, being in Yang’s arms like this and knowing that she felt the same way that she did. She planted a kiss on her collar bone, and snuggled in, a few purrs escaping her as she did this. If only they could lay like this forever.

Blake could hear Sun and Neptune arguing about something; it didn’t sound as if it was too serious of an argument, but they were being quiet enough as to not disturb them, so she couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying. Nudging Yang, she motioned for her to get up and the blonde let out a groan and dramatically put her arm over her face. Blake giggled before climbing on top of her, instantly causing the blonde to remove her arm.

“If you don’t stop what you’re doing, I’m not going to care if they hear us.” Yang whispered while trailing her other arm down Blake’s back.

The dark-haired girl shivered at her words but didn’t move. “I’m trying to give you enough incentive to get you out of bed. But I have a feeling it isn’t working.”

“Not in the slightest, sweetheart.” Yang sat up and gave her a deep kiss. “But I’ll get out of bed.”

Blake returned the kiss but was quick to get off of her so the kiss wouldn’t go any further. She gathered whatever clothes had been laying on the floor and took it to her closet where her hamper was located. While she was in there, she grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top before making her way out to grab some underwear. Yang was already dressed and had just finished buttoning her shorts that she had been wearing the previous night. She stood in only her bra and they both stopped to stare at each other, seeing as Blake was still naked.

“You need to hurry and get dressed before I take you back to bed.” Yang told her, a smile on her face but her eyes looking at her with desire.

“I’m working on it.” Blake laughed. She was quick to grab undergarments and put them on before slipping into her shorts and shirt. “There, now you won’t be distracted anymore.”

Yang didn’t say anything, instead she moved closer to Blake and wrapped her in a hug. She kissed her forehead before going down to her lips, kissing her. “You don’t need to be naked to be a distraction. You’re beautiful no matter what you’re wearing. Or not wearing.” She said with a smile.

Blake’s face began to feel warm at her words and she buried her face into her chest. “Why do you have to say things like that and make me blush?”

“Because it’s true.” She pulled away and reached down to grab her hand, intertwining their fingers. “Now let’s go see what those nerds are up to.”

She nodded her head and led them out of her bedroom and towards the kitchen where Sun and Neptune were still arguing.

“—a great idea and you know it!”

“Not gonna happen.”

“Ugh!” Sun yelled. He heard them both come in and once he made eye contact with Blake he began to speak. “Blakey, please tell my handsome yet difficult boyfriend here that going dressed up as Aladdin and Abu is a great idea!”

“I…what?”

“For Halloween! Last night Ruby invited us both to her Halloween/birthday party and she said that couples that go usually dress up together and I instantly thought about Aladdin and Abu, but Neptune is saying no!”

“What are you guys going dressed up as?” Neptune asked, ignoring Sun’s outbursts.

“Um…” Blake looked up at Yang, unsure on how to answer.

“Well, I was going to dress up as Captain Marvel.” The blonde answered. “But I’m cool with picking something else out instead.”

Blake’s brows began to furrow. “Have we seen that one?”

“Yeah, it’s the one with the crazy hot blonde girl who thought she was an alien but wasn’t. You kept repeating how much you liked her.” Sun responded.

Blake glared at him. “Really? That didn’t really tell me much except that I apparently have the hots for her.”

Yang laughed but pulled out her scroll. A few seconds later she was showing Blake pictures. “This is Captain Marvel. It’s nice to know that you have the hots for a strong blonde woman who can kick ass.”

Blake rolled her eyes but didn’t comment. She scrolled down a few pictures and stopped on one in particular where the blonde woman was holding an orange cat. She stared at the cat for a moment longer, completely ignoring the argument that had started up again with Sun and Neptune. She clicked on the picture, enlarging it. Hmm…that could work.

“What are you thinking?”

“About my costume.” Blake answered. “Maybe I can go dressed as her cat? I mean from what I remember Captain Marvel doesn’t have a love interest and there weren’t any other female characters I could dress as. Well, maybe her friend. But, I can easily go as a cat. I just need a tail…but this cat is orange.” Blake pondered her idea for a moment before turning to look at Yang who was just staring at her with a smile on her face. “What?”

“You don’t have to go dressed as Goose; that’s the cat’s name.” Yang clarified. “I can always go dressed as something else.”

“I suppose…wait, did you buy your costume? You said you were going as her.”

Yang looked away before clearing her throat. “I can get something else. I think I can still return the costume.”

“No, it’s okay…I can be a black cat version of Goose.” Blake decided. She leaned in closer to Yang, her voice dropping so Sun and Neptune wouldn’t hear her. “Besides…I really want to see you dressed up as Captain Marvel. Maybe I can even help you take the costume off later.”

Yang visibly swallowed. “I think that can definitely be arranged.”

“It’s settled then.” Blake said while kissing Yang’s cheek. Looking over at two of her best friends, she sighed. “I think Sun’s idea is okay, but what did you have in mind Neptune?”

Neptune sighed before admitting that he didn’t have anything in mind and would more than likely go with Sun’s idea because he at least had one. Sun began to cheer and went to kiss Neptune on the cheek. Blake rolled her eyes before turning to look at Yang who was already staring at her. Before she could ask what was wrong, Yang leaned down and give Blake a kiss. Just because, she said while kissing her again.

Not to long later, Blake was walking Yang downstairs towards Bumblebee, her bike parked next to Blake’s car. She really didn’t want her to leave, but Yang still had obligations. Today, she would find out when her next match was and then her training would begin automatically after that. From the way it was going, Blake probably wouldn’t be seeing her girlfriend for a few days.

Blake watched as Yang grabbed her helmet and swung her leg over her bike. She watched transfixed as she slipped her sunglasses onto her face before sticking the key into the ignition, the bike roaring to life beneath her. Moving forward, Blake leaned against her side and gave her cheek a kiss, trailing more kisses towards her ear where she bit the lobe gently, causing Yang to gasp.

“I’ll miss you.” Blake admitted, her mouth still by Yang’s ear.

“I’ll miss you, too, sweetheart.” The blonde said over the roar of the engine. She turned her head and kissed her. “I had a lot of fun this morning.”

Blake laughed. “I did too.” She became serious after that, pulling away so she could see Yang’s face. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For listening to me last night when I explained my tattoo and for this morning. For everything, really.” She replied while cupping Yang’s face, her thumb trailing along her cheekbone.

Yang grabbed ahold of her hand and leaned into her touch. “You’re welcome, Blake.” She turned her head slightly and kissed the palm of her hand. She met her eyes and smiled. “Thank you for this morning, also.”

Blake felt her face go red and she laughed. “I’m trying to be sentimental and you go and say that. You’re the worst.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to take away from your moment. I’m happy you were able to open up about something that was clearly very personal for you. It means a lot to me that you would do that. So, thank you, Blake, for trusting me enough to tell me that.” Yang pulled her into her arms, kissing her underneath her ear. “I’ll call you later, sweetheart. I’ll be counting down the days until I can see your beautiful face again.”

“As will I.” Blake pulled away and gave her a lingering kiss, gently taking her bottom lip between her teeth and causing the blonde woman to let out a soft moan. “Drive safe, Yang.”

Yang gave her another kiss before pulling away, promising that she’d text her once she arrived at her destination. Blake moved away from her bike then and watched as Yang put her helmet on before driving away. The blonde gave her one final wave before she turned and drove out of sight. Blake stayed outside until she could no longer hear the roaring of her bike and only then did she go back upstairs where Sun and Neptune had finally “made up” and were now making breakfast as well as working on some business stuff.

Blake ended up back in her room after letting the guys know she was going to sleep a little bit longer. She took of the clothes she was wearing and set them aside to be worn again once she woke up. As she got back under the covers, she was greeted with Yang’s scent that had lingered on her pillows as well as her bedsheets. The smell was absolutely intoxicating, and she could feel her desire coming back. Grabbing hold of the pillow Yang had been using, she buried her face into it and tried not to imagine the way Yang had looked as she climaxed, but it was absolutely hopeless not to.

She wasn’t entirely sure how she managed, but she drifted off to sleep with Yang’s scent flooding her senses and honestly and it was the best sleep Blake had had in quite a while.

~*~*~*~

Time almost didn’t seem to exist. At least, that’s how it felt for Blake. Time didn’t matter when you finally found someone worth being with. The more time spent with Yang, the more Blake realized this was what love was. This is what she deserved.

That didn’t mean that it didn’t scare her.

Because it terrified her.

And yet, it completely engulfed her in warmth every time they talked on their scrolls or when they managed a few hours of alone time together. With Yang’s hectic training schedule and even with her own schedule it was hard to find time, but when they finally managed…sometimes no words were exchanged at all. Only heated breath and soft moans that had to be covered so no one would hear them. Although, one of them usually left evidence of their encounters; a hickey on the neck or scratch marks down their back. Even if there was no physical evidence, just one look had the person who just so happened to catch the aftermath shaking their head but smiling, nonetheless.

Two days before Halloween, Blake was standing in her closet looking for clothes to take with her. Tonight would be the first night that she was going to stay over at Yang’s apartment instead of her staying at Blake’s. She was so excited that she had absolutely no idea what to pack. The days were starting to get cooler and Blake was feeling that sadness of having to put away her summer clothing. Most of her bar outfits stayed since she’d be wearing them inside, but some of her dresses would be pushed to the back and replaced with warmer clothing.

Pulling out her favorite black sweater, the sadness disappeared as she felt the familiar and soft material on her fingertips. On the plus side, it was officially sweater and legging season so now she would feel comfortable wherever she went.

Her scroll went off then and when she pulled it out of her pocket, she saw a text from Yang. Blake began to smile as she opened the message.

**Yang:** _Are you almost done? I miss you :(_

**Me:** _I miss you too, babe._

Her reply came immediately.

**Yang:** _You didn’t answer my question >:(_

**Me:** _I know :)_

Blake laughed as her next text was a string of angry faced emojis followed by the crying one. She sent a quick reply letting her know she was almost done packing and would be leaving as soon as she was done before putting her scroll back in her pocket. She packed a few more sweaters as well as the outfit she was going to wear for her costume and carried her bag out into her bedroom where she placed her make up bag, brush, and her bathing supplies into her bag before zipping her bag closed. Looking around her room, she double checked to make sure she had everything before nodding her head. Leaving her bedroom, she carried her bag out into the kitchen where she had left her purse and car keys. Sun and Neptune were downstairs in the bar, so she sent them a quick text letting them both know she was leaving. Once that was done, she opened up Yang’s messages and sent her a text saying she was on her way before grabbing her things and heading out the door.

Ten minutes later, she was being buzzed into Yang’s apartment. The blonde had volunteered to go downstairs and help her, but Blake assured her that she would be able to make it up there with all of her things. The ride up the elevator was uneventful and when the doors slid open, Yang was standing right in front of the metal doors, a huge smile on her face.

Blake’s face lit up when she saw her, but she couldn’t help but tease her. “Have you been standing there this whole time waiting for me to come up? What if I would have been somebody else?”

“That would have been really awkward.” Yang replied while smiling. Blake stepped out of the elevator and Yang immediately pulled her into her arms. “Especially if I had done this.”

Leaning down, she captured Blake’s lips with her own and she couldn’t help the smile that made its way across her lips. She pressed her body against Yang’s and instantly felt sparks ignite; the same affect had also happened to Yang, who pulled her closer, letting out a small moan.

“I missed you, sweetheart.” Yang whispered across her lips.

“I missed you, too.” came Blake’s reply as she kissed her again. She pulled away from her and gave her another smile. “Shall we head inside, or do you plan on making out again in the hallway?”

“I mean...”

Blake rolled her eyes and Yang began to laugh before she reached down and grabbed Blake’s overnight bag first and then her hand, leading her towards hers and Ruby’s shared apartment. Upon entering her apartment, the first thing she noticed was all of the articles of clothing that were littered all over the place. Yang began to rub the back of her neck, a blush forming on her cheeks.

“Sorry about the mess, it had been clean before Ruby came home and began looking for an article of clothing that she needed for her costume. I had volunteered to help her, but she wants it to be a surprise.”

“That’s fine; I don’t mind.” Blake answered honestly.

“I’ll tidy up and you can just relax and make yourself at home!” Yang said cheerfully, going to the nearest piece of clothing and picking it up. “I swear, that girl can be messy.”

Blake didn’t make a comment, instead she grabbed her bag that Yang had set down by the door and went to take it to her bedroom. Setting it on the bed, she opened it and bit her bottom lip. Should she put all her stuff away? Or just leave it in the bag? She didn’t want her costume to get wrinkled…so maybe she should at least hang that up. Poking her head out of the door, she asked Yang if she could.

“Of course! You can put anything you want anywhere.” The blonde answered while grabbing a few more shirts that had been left on the coffee table.

Going back to her bag, Blake went and grabbed the outfit she would be wearing and went inside Yang’s closet to find a hanger. As soon as she entered, all she could smell was Yang’s scent. Of course, it made sense, but the way it surrounded her at the moment was enough for Blake to stop what she was doing. Shaking her head, she quickly hung up her outfit and made her way out of the closet and back to her bag. She pulled out her bathing supplies as well as her toothbrush and hairbrush and carried the items to the bathroom where she set down her shampoo, conditioner, and body wash on the side of the bathtub before putting down her brush and toothbrush. Gazing at her reflection, she took in her frazzled appearance and picked up her brush to comb out her bangs that had gotten messed up on the ride over.

Satisfied, she picked up her bag and took it over to the closet where she quickly set it down on the floor before kicking off her shoes and closing the door. Making her way out of the bedroom, she could hear Yang in Ruby’s room, no doubt hanging up all the clothes that Ruby had left all over their living room.

“Want to watch a movie?” Yang called out from Ruby’s room.

“Sure.”

“Go ahead and pick one out. I’ll be out there in a sec.”

Blake wasn’t exactly sure on what to pick since Yang and Ruby had a huge movie collection. Recognizing a title that she actually knew, she pulled it out and set to work on getting it in the video player. Minutes later, Yang had joined her on the couch, sitting as close as possible to her. The movie Blake had picked out was actually one based off a book she had read a few years ago that she actually liked. On Yang’s insistence, Blake was telling her what was different and what was the same between the book and the movie. With this particular film, everything was pretty much on point. Yang had her arm wrapped around her and was idly playing with her hair, the gesture comforting. Blake had her hand resting on her bare thigh, every so often she would rub her thumb across her skin, causing goosebumps to break out and Yang to lean over and kiss her temple.

Closing her eyes, Blake let out a sigh that quickly turned into a purr that only grew louder once Yang pulled her in closer, nuzzling her neck. The movie played on in the background but honestly, Blake wasn’t even paying attention anymore. All she could feel was the warmth Yang was emitting and the complete calmness that settled over her like a blanket.

The day passed by rather quickly, as did the next day. The next morning Yang impressed her with her cooking skills, making her pancakes with bacon. Blake tried to help but Yang insisted that she sit down and let her dazzle her with her cooking skills.

Blake was absolutely dazzled.

Their day went absolutely perfectly. They left for a few hours to get some last minute things for their costumes before going back to Yang’s apartment where the day was spent with Yang going over some basic martial arts moves and Blake reading her current book, peeking glances at her every so often. They both made dinner together; Yang was back on her diet, so it was grilled chicken with different vegetables mixed into a salad. She told Blake over and over that she didn’t have to eat the same food as her, but Blake didn’t mind one bit. They ate in comfortable silence, both of them content with each other that they didn’t need to fill the silence with conversation.

Finally, Halloween was upon them. They both woke up at seven thirty that morning; Yang excited and chipper, literally skipping out of bed. Blake wondering why the hell they had to be up so early, even though she knew the answer. They were going to take Ruby out for breakfast at Candlelight and they were going to meet up at eight thirty. As Yang hurried into the shower, Blake stumbled out of bed and into the closet where she pulled out a pair of black leggings and a deep purple sweater that reached to mid-thigh. She changed quickly and had started on her make up when Yang came out of the shower, her hair wrapped up in a towel and the same robe from last time.

“Where’s the robe that you wear for your matches?” Blake asked curiously as her eyes trail after her.

“It’s here in my closet.” Came Yang’s muffled answer. She came out a few seconds later, holding up a garment bag; she unzipped it and Blake was greeted with the familiar orange of her robe. “I only use it for my matches. Once I’m done with the fight it gets dry cleaned and put in my closet until my next fight.”

Blake made a humming noise of acknowledgement before returning back to her make up. Yang came out not long after wearing a pair of dark jeans and a soft brown sweater, sitting on her bed to put her socks on. Blake watched her through the mirror as she pulled out her mascara, applying a coat to one eye lash before moving onto the next. When she was done, she looked back into the mirror to see that Yang was staring at her, a small smile on her lips. Blake’s own smile began to appear as she turned back to the mirror to make sure she didn’t have any of her make up smudged.

Yang stood up from the bed and went to stand behind her, her arms wrapping firmly around her waist. She placed a kiss on top of her head before giving her a light squeeze. She let go a little bit later, saying she would be in the living room putting her shoes on and waiting for Blake to finish getting ready.

Five minutes later, both girls had their shoes on and were making their way down towards Blake’s car where they both got in and Blake drove them to Candlelight. Ruby had already text saying they were there and waiting for them. They arrived shortly after and made their way inside where they were greeted by the hostess and once they told her their reservation name, she walked them outside to the usual table that Weiss and Blake sat at.

Ruby was bouncing in her chair, her excitement hard to contain and palpable to anyone who was within close range to her. Blake looked up at Yang to see that the girl was smiling fondly at her younger sister. The brunette couldn’t wait to greet them; she bolted up from her seat and ran to Yang who had braced herself to catch her. A soft “oof” was heard and Blake wondered briefly if she was going to knock her down, but she was happy to see them both still upright. Turning to Weiss, she saw that she was smiling at both of the sisters.

Blake left the sisters alone as Ruby began talking a mile a minute about her party that night; she went and sat down to the left of Weiss who was taking a sip of her coffee. Their hello to each other was a simple “good morning” and a nod of their heads. Weiss knew Blake wasn’t a morning person and Blake knew that Weiss wasn’t that much for affection anyways.

Finally, the sisters sat down with them and both of them were beaming. Ruby let out a whine as she realized she hadn’t given Blake a hug but before she could jump out of her seat, their waitress came by to take Blake and Yang’s drink order. Blake ordered her usual tea and Yang ordered a cup of coffee with a glass of water. As soon as the waitress left, Ruby shot up from her seat and made her way towards Blake, grabbing her around her shoulders and squeezing her.

“Good morning, Blake!” she said excitedly.

“Morning, Ruby.” She wheezed dramatically. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you! I’m so happy that you’re here! Are you excited about tonight?

“I am. But I’m also a little nervous to meet all of Yang’s friends.” She answered honestly. She felt Yang’s warm hand over hers and she gave a small squeeze. Looking over at her, she saw the smile she was giving her, and Blake’s problems almost seemed to melt away.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. They’re going to love you.”

And just like that, all her worries seemed to disappear. Well, almost. She wouldn’t lie and say that she wasn’t nervous anymore. She didn’t get much time to worry after that, because their drinks were being brought to them and they were giving their order to the waitress. Weiss and Blake had their usual breakfast while Ruby ordered French toast with a ridiculous amount of powdered sugar as well as chocolate chips and strawberries; Blake wondered if she would eat it all. Yang ordered an omelet with bacon and avocado, adding more bacon to it with a side of pancakes. “It’s my cheat day!” she said excitedly as the waitress left once their order was complete.

Blake and Weiss – used to being quiet during their wait – were surrounded by conversation between the siblings. They talked about a wide range of things while awaiting their food and there were even things that Blake was able to talk about with them. Ruby was talking about a book series that she liked as a kid and the cat Faunus’ ears perked up as she realized she had read that series also. They talked about it and Blake’s smile never left her face. She could hear Yang telling Weiss about a possible new song, even though Weiss was putting her foot down, saying she wasn’t going to make her a new one when she had _just_ written one. Blake turned right in time to see Yang’s pouting face; reaching out her hand, she set it down on top of Yang’s and her pout instantly turned into a smile. She intertwined their fingers and gave a gentle squeeze.

Looking around the table, Blake came to the realization that these three people sitting down with her, well, they were her family. The sudden warmth that spread through her chest was so welcoming that Blake could feel tears coming to her eyes. Catching Weiss’ eye, she gave the white-haired girl a smile and she was quick to return it. All her fears were beginning to disappear.

Blake was finally feeling complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU GUYS! I'm so sorry I left you guys hanging for a month! I hadn't even realized it had been that long. But I had some personal things to get through and now I'm doing a little better than before.
> 
> So, confession time: I have never written a sex scene. Like ever. I've been writing fanfiction since I was thirteen (that's about fifteen years, give or take) and this is the first time I ever wrote one to completion. Small victories and I'm happy on how it came out. What do you guys think?
> 
> The song that I sort of based their sex scene on is called "Beautiful With You" by Halestorm; it's such a beautiful song. The movie that I envision them watching is The Hunger Games. I never watched the rest of the movies because the books were so heartbreaking that I couldn't watch them. I'm also literally the worst because I always forget to share this bit of knowledge with you all. The restaurant that Blake and Weiss go to is actually a real place where I'm from. It's such a nice and relaxing place.
> 
> Thank you all for reading and reviewing! You guys are the greatest!
> 
> @VioletSkye413


	18. Chapter Eighteen

“I can’t wait for you to meet my friends.” Yang said excitedly from the driver’s seat. “I know they’re excited to meet you.”

“I'm excited too.” Blake said with a smile. Of course, she was a little nervous – even after Yang had assured her once that her friends were going to love her – which is why she just had to ask again. “Are you sure they’ll like me?

“Yes! They already like you. They’re just mad that I’ve waited this long to introduce you to them. I told them that we were too busy getting to know one another on a deeply personal and intimate level.”

“Yang! You did not!” Blake laughed while shaking her head.

“I guess you’ll just have to find out when you meet them.” she smirked while reaching for Blake’s hand, giving it a squeeze.

The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes but didn’t comment further. Instead, she turned her attention to outside of her window. They were driving out of Vale and heading towards Patch, the small island where Yang had grown up. As they were leaving, Yang explained that her dad still lived in their childhood home and he would just commute back and forth to the city. They would take a ferry to the island and from there it would be about a fifteen-minute drive. Blake honestly didn’t mind the scenery one bit. Turning to look at Yang, she took in her long blonde hair that Blake had braided that morning, hanging down her right shoulder, her lilac eyes covered by her aviators had her smiling. Yup, she sure didn’t mind the scenery one bit.

One ferry ride and a fifteen-minute drive later, they were pulling into the long driveway of Taiyang’s home. As they grew closer and the house came into view, Blake felt her jaw drop. The house was a beautiful log cabin that was two stories high. There were sunflowers growing in front of the house and surrounding the house were the woods.

Yang parked next to Ruby’s car and cut the engine off; she squeezed Blake’s hand before taking the keys from the ignition and stepping out of the car. Blake was quick to do the same and no sooner as she had slammed the door shut, the front door burst open and Ruby came running out to greet them.

“I’m so glad you guys are here!” she yelled, stopping in front of Yang. “Weiss and dad are inside getting everything together!”

As the sisters began to chat, Blake began to take in her surroundings. The woods definitely looked like a place she would want to explore later, maybe on a walk with Yang. She was certain the blonde knew her way around. The sky was crystal clear, and Blake could smell the ocean all around her, instantly calming her frazzled nerves. Her ears twitched as she heard the screen door open again and when she looked to see who had come out, she felt her hair stand on end when she spotted that dog; Zwei.

He let out a small bark before running down the stairs and heading straight towards Blake who instantly backed up before running around the car, Zwei right on her heels. Without even thinking, Blake jumped onto Yang’s back, almost making her fall onto the floor, but luckily Yang was quick to hook her arms behind Blake’s legs.

“Zwei, no!” Ruby exclaimed. She grabbed the corgi and picked him up, the little dog squirming in her hands. “I’m sorry, Blake! I completely forgot!”

“I’m not really complaining.” Yang said with a laugh as she tightened her hold on Blake. She winced when Blake held onto her neck tighter. “But maybe you can relax your arms just a little bit, babe?”

Blake did as she was asked, relaxing her grip. Zwei was barking at her excitedly and still trying to get out of Ruby’s grasp. This was ridiculous, she thought to herself. Why was it that she was like this with dogs? Taking a deep breath, Blake tapped onto Yang’s shoulders, indicating that she wanted to be let down. Once her feet were planted on the ground, she stood at Yang’s side and watched as Zwei looked at her intensely.

“Maybe you should try letting him sniff you?” Yang suggested while slinging her arm around Blake’s shoulders. “I honestly think he’s just curious.”

Hesitantly, Blake put out her hand close to Zwei’s nose and once he was close enough, he sniffed her fingers before licking them. She instantly froze but Yang rubbed her arm, soothing her almost instantly. Once Zwei was done, he pulled away and let out another bark before letting his tongue roll out of the side of his mouth, making him look as if he was smiling. Ruby began to cheer and gave the dog a quick hug before setting him down and they all watched as he trotted away towards a patch of grass.

“That wasn’t so bad!” Ruby said. “Let’s go inside so you can see all of the things we’re going to have for tonight!”

They both watched as Ruby took off without them, which worked out anyways since they had to get their bags down from the car. Tonight, they’d be staying at Taiyang’s house in Yang’s old bedroom. It didn’t take them long to get their overnight bags out of the trunk and head inside where they could hear Tai talking to both Ruby and Weiss about the food they were going to have at the party. They walked into the kitchen and once Tai saw them both, he began to smile and walked over to greet them.

“Welcome to our house, Blake!” he said cheerfully as he gave her a hug. Blake reciprocated and felt warmth spread through her. “I hope the ride up was okay?”

“It was great.” She answered while moving back to Yang’s side. She looked over at Weiss and waved hello to her, the heiress waving back, before she turned her attention back to Tai. “You have a beautiful house.”

“Thank you, thank you! Once you’re settled, maybe Yang can give you a tour?”

“Sure, dad.” Grabbing hold of Blake’s hand, she gently tugged her forward. “Come on, sweetheart, I’ll show you where we’re going to be sleeping.”

As they walked up the stairs, Blake was looking at the wall of pictures that were lining the wall. There were graduation pictures of both Ruby and Yang on the wall and she felt her smile grow wider at the different pictures; a younger Yang competing in a wrestling match, Ruby standing side by side with Qrow, both of them covered in grease, a car with the hood opened behind them. As they reached the top of the stairs, Blake saw a picture of Tai, Yang, and Ruby with another woman who resembled the brunette; this must be their mother. She didn’t get to stare long though, since Yang was still pulling her along. She guided them both to a closed door and once the door was opened and they walked inside, Blake smiled as she took in her surroundings.

Much like Yang’s room now, this room was covered with posters. Mainly band posters but there were a few more posters of her dad on the wall – thankfully, no Adam posters were to be seen. While there weren’t many knickknacks, there were still plenty of pictures that lined the walls and different surfaces of the furniture. There was even a bookshelf that had actual books and Blake found herself gravitating over to see what Yang had. They were mainly martial arts books, but she found a familiar book series that she had loved when she was a kid. She heard Yang placing their belongings on the bed and the blonde let out a long sigh.

“Well, this is my room. I took most of my things with me, but whatever is in here is what I left behind.”

“I can’t believe you left your books behind. You monster.” Blake joked as she turned around. Yang was smiling at her, rubbing the back of her neck. As Blake continued to look around, she found another picture of the dark-haired woman; this time, she was holding a much younger Yang. She touched the corner of the framed picture. “Is this you and your mom?”

“Yeah,” came Yang’s soft reply. She walked over to where Blake was at and picked up the photo, looking at it first before handing it over to Blake. “That’s my mom, Summer Rose.”

Blake studied the picture, taking in the look of pure love written on Summer’s face and the joy that was clearly on Yang’s at seeing her. “How old were you in this picture?”

“Two, I think. Or almost two. Dad told me that when he took this picture they had just found out Summer was pregnant with Ruby and that’s them telling me.”

She nodded her head before placing the picture back down on the table. When she turned to look at Yang, she could see the sadness reflected in her eyes. Blake reached out her hand to her cheek, laying it gently there in silent comfort. Yang exhaled and leaned into her touch.

“I’m sorry for being so nosey.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s alright that you asked.” She kissed her palm before grabbing her hand, interlacing their fingers. “Come on, I’ll give you a quick tour and then we’ll go see what my dad needs help with.”

The house had four bedrooms; Tai’s, Ruby’s, and Yang’s rooms were all upstairs with the last room located on the first floor which Tai used as an office, which was actually the master bedroom. There was a bathroom upstairs and two downstairs, one of them being a half bathroom. The living room was a large space with a couch, love seat, and armchair that looked like the perfect place to get lost in a book, especially with the fireplace near it. Blake wondered briefly if she’d ever have the chance to find out; she really hoped that she would. The tour ended in the kitchen where Tai was still chatting with Weiss; Ruby was nowhere to be found. Upon inquiring, Weiss informed them both that she was outside setting up tables and that the heiress was on her way to go and join her.

Both Blake and Yang were about to follow her out when Tai stopped them, asking if either one of them could help him in the kitchen.

“Ruby won’t be able to stand still and Weiss isn’t allowed in the kitchen after the oven pizza incident, so if one of you could help me that would be great.”

Blake looked up at Yang and gave her a small smile. “I’ll help.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” She leaned forward and whispered. “I think they’re going to need your muscle to carry everything.”

Yang cleared her throat, a blush forming on her cheeks. “You’re probably right.” Leaning down, she gave her a quick kiss and headed outside, leaving Tai and Blake alone.

Tai gave her a warm smile. “You any good in the kitchen?”

“I like to think so. I’ve cooked a few times for Yang, and she says it was good.”

“Let’s put that to the test then.”

For the next few hours, they worked in comfortable silence, the only noise coming from an old stereo that was on an oldies station. Most of the food that was being made were finger foods as well as different desserts. Tai informed her that Weiss had ordered Ruby’s birthday cake; a three-tier cake with different flavors for each layer. It definitely sounded like something Ruby would want, Blake thought in amusement. By the time they both finished, there was only an hour until the party was set to start.

“Go ahead and get ready.” Tai said as he finished placing the last clean dish away. “I can handle the rest of the cleanup.”

“You sure?”

“Of course! Thanks again for all the help, Blake.”

Blake said a soft your welcome before leaving the kitchen and heading back up the stairs. As she passed by the framed photographs again, she paused on the one at the very top of the stairs, the family portrait. They all looked so happy, she thought. She stared a little longer before heading into Yang’s bedroom where the door was partly opened. Yang was still outside so the room was empty. Going towards her bag, she removed the outfit she was going to be wearing before closing the door. She changed quickly into high waisted black pants and a black crop top shirt that had a picture of an orange cat on it. She was fairly sure that no one would know who she was supposed to be, but hopefully once she explained the cat it would make sense. Even so, she wouldn’t mind if no one did get it.

Grabbing her make up bag, Blake went to the mirror that was in Yang’s room and removed a makeup wipe, cleaning around her eyes to get off the makeup she had on from this morning’s breakfast. She applied blue eye liner to the bottom of her eyes, trying to include the tesseract in her outfit somehow; on top of her eye lid she applied shimmery orange eyeshadow before adding a darker orange on top. Once she was done with that, she applied some black eye liner on top before adding some highlight to her cheeks and nose. Grabbing a dark shade of red, she quickly applied it before giving herself a once over in the mirror. She looked good, she decided before picking half of her hair up in a ponytail, leaving the rest of it down.

There was a knock on the door as soon as she had finished fixing her hair, her ears twitched as she listened to see who it might be. Walking towards the door, she opened it and saw Weiss standing in front of her.

“Hey, what’s up?” she asked while moving out of the way to let her in. She noticed she had a bag in her hand. “What’s in the bag?”

“It’s actually something for you.” Weiss said as she handed over the bag.

“For me? Today isn’t my birthday, you know.”

“Yes, I know.” Weiss rolled her eyes. “Hurry up and open it.”

Blake did as she was told and was shocked to see what Weiss had gotten her. It was a blue cube purse and it resembled the tesseract. She looked up at Weiss. “How did you know?”

“I knew Yang was going to be Captain Marvel.” Weiss shrugged. “And I also overheard you and Yang talking about your costume. I saw it online while I was looking for accessories for my own costume and I just had to buy it for you.”

“Thank you, Weiss. I love it.” Blake gave her a quick hug before letting go. “Hopefully, people will know who I am now with this.”

“Maybe.” Weiss said with another shrug of her shoulders. “Even if they don’t, it’s a cute purse. Anyways, I got to go finish getting ready. There are already people here.”

“Really?” Blake asked, her anxiety spiking.

“Hey,” Weiss’ eyes became soft as she reached out and grabbed her best friends’ hand. “It’s going to be okay. Just remember to take deep breaths and everything will be fine.”

Blake only nodded her head before watching Weiss leave the room, closing the door behind her. She still hadn’t seen Yang come back and she unsure of when her girlfriend was going to get ready. Sitting down on the bed, she looked at her scroll and saw that the party was literally about to start. Blake sighed and went to her message thread where she had unread messages from the boys. They were all saying how excited they were to be coming by and a few messages later they all wrote that they were on their way.

She could do this, she thought while squaring her shoulders. She could do this.

By the time she made it downstairs, the party was well under way. Blake still hadn’t made her way outside; she was nervous. Inhaling deeply, she made her way out of the front door, the screen making a loud smacking noise once it closed behind her. The only person who looked up was Ruby, who immediately let out a loud squeal and ran over to her.

“You look so hot! Yang just might drop dead!”

“Thanks.” She said shyly. “Where is Yang?” Blake asked curiously as she looked around at all the unfamiliar faces.

“She went to go talk to our dad about something.” Ruby commented while also looking around. “I think they went to go talk in the shed.”

“I hope everything is okay.” Blake commented while rubbing her arm; it was slightly colder than what she had expected.

“I’m not sure to be honest. But I’ll go find her!”

Before Blake could tell her to wait, she took off running towards the shed in the backyard. She stood there awkwardly, not looking up to make eye contact with anyone. She wasn’t even sure if Weiss was outside or not and she knew Sun and the guys weren’t there either; she definitely would have heard them. Hopefully, Yang could come back soon, and she wouldn’t have to awkwardly stand there while her friends just stood there watching her.

Not even five minutes had passed before she saw Yang coming around from the back of the house. The first thing she noticed was that her eyes were red; that obviously wasn’t good.

“Yang?” Blake called to her. Yang stopped for just a moment to grab her hand and politely ask her to follow her inside. Blake agreed and let the blonde woman pull her inside the house and back into her bedroom. Once they were inside, Blake closed the door and watched Yang as she paced back and forth across her bedroom floor. “Is everything alright?”

“No.” Yang answered sharply. She inhaled deeply and stopped pacing. Turning to look at Blake, she gave her a small smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so mean. I just…family issues.”

“I understand.” Blake said softly. “And it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not okay. I shouldn’t take it out on you when it’s not your fault for asking. I’m just…” she sighed again before sitting down on her bed. “I just wish I would have waited to hear what my dad had to say. I don’t know why he told me this tonight of all nights.”

Blake went and sat down next to her, wrapping her arm around her waist. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Maybe later.” Yang answered while resting her head against Blake’s. “For right now, I want to change into my costume and introduce you to my friends. I’m sorry I left you alone like that.”

“That’s fine.” Blake leaned forward and gave her a lingering kiss on her cheek. “Go ahead and get ready. I’ll go find Weiss and hang out with her until you come back down.”

“Alright sweetheart.” Yang turned her head and gave her a quick kiss on her lips. “Thank you.”

Fifteen minutes later, Blake was standing on the porch, leaning against the railing. Sun and Neptune were there, and they were talking with Ruby. They both looked cute dressed up as Aladdin and Abu, Sun’s tail twitching behind him carelessly. Weiss still hadn’t come out of the house and even though Blake had gone to go bug her, she had refused to open the door. It had been almost an hour already and the Ice Queen still wasn’t ready, and Blake was starting to get a little annoyed. Yang still hadn’t come down either, but she sent her text saying she was almost ready.

Sun and Neptune were quick to make friends with some of the other people who were there, including a hyperactive red head and a quiet dark-haired boy. Scarlet and Sage were both by where they had all the drinks at, and Scarlet was making a mixed drink for Ruby. Blake had a feeling that Ruby wouldn’t be ending this night sober. Her ears began to twitch as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs and towards the door. She knew it was Yang and as she turned around to greet her, all the air left her lungs.

The red, blue, and gold body suit she was wearing was form fitting, hugging her curves in all the right places. Her blonde hair was done perfectly, and she was even wearing a bit of makeup, just enough to make her eyes and lips pop. As soon as she saw her, Yang gave her a smirk and walked confidently over to her.

“Hey, Blake Belladonna.” She whispered, her voice dripping with seduction. She walked right up to her, boxing her in and leaning in towards her, her lips hovering close to Blake’s. “You got something for me?”

“I…” Blake was at a loss for words. “I might?”

“You do, actually.” Yang said as she caressed her face, her hand covered with a glove. Yang let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m not used to wearing these things.”

“You wear gloves in the Octagon.” Blake said with a laugh.

Yang laughed along with her before giving her a kiss. “Come on sweetheart, let me introduce you to my friends.”

The blonde swung her arm around Blake’s shoulders and escorted her down the stairs towards where Sun and Neptune were talking to the couple Blake had been looking at earlier. Once they grew closer, the red head stopped talking and began to shriek before running straight towards Yang. She seemed to anticipate this because she quickly moved away from Blake and moments later, the red head ran full force into Yang, knocking the wind out of her and almost knocking her to the ground.

“There she is! The undefeated UFC champion YANG XIAO LONG!” the girl screamed.

“Hey, Nora…you don’t need to shout.” Yang wheezed out.

The girl – Nora, Blake gathered – was dressed up as a female version of Thor and was squeezing the life out of her girlfriend. “You look so awesome!”

“So do you!” Yang enthused. “Is Ren supposed to be Loki?”

“Yup! We know they’re not a couple, but we couldn’t figure out anything else.” Nora let go of her and took a step back, but she was still bouncing in place.

“It’s good to see you both!” turning to look at Blake, she held out her hand which Blake gladly took. “Blake, I want you to meet one of my friends. This is Nora Valkyrie. Nora, this is my girlfriend, Blake Belladonna.”

“It is so nice to finally meet you!” Nora said excitedly while extending her hand. She eagerly grabbed onto Blake’s extended hand and shook it vigorously before letting go. “Oh!” reaching behind her, she grabbed onto the boy behind her and pulled him forward. “This is my boyfriend, Ren!”

“It’s nice to meet you.” He said quietly. Blake already liked him. “I’m Lie Ren.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Blake said with a smile.

Nora began to talk a mile a minute about how excited she was to finally meet Blake and all the while, the cat Faunus stood there and nodded along as the red head continued talking.

“For a little while we all thought you weren’t real! Seeing as Yang wasn’t bringing you around.”

“Really, Nora?” Yang groaned.

“I’m afraid that was my doing.” Blake said with a shy smile. “I’m very shy and don’t generally meet new people.”

“Well I’m just glad we’re finally meeting! Oh! Have you met Pyrrha and Jaune yet?”

“Not yet!” Yang answered while rubbing her hand up and down Blake’s arm. “We were going to head that way now. I don’t need you scaring her away.”

“Please, if you haven’t done that by now then I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Nora said with a laugh. “It was nice meeting you, Blake!”

“You as well.” She said with a smile.

Yang pulled her closer and kissed her cheek. “Sorry if that was too much for you. Nora has a very strong personality.”

“It wasn’t too bad.” Blake rubbed her head against Yang. “Her name sounds familiar though.”

“She used to be in the circuit too.” She said while leading her towards the drink station where Scarlet and Sage (dressed up as pirates, Blake now realized) were still hanging around along with two other people Blake hadn’t noticed before. “She retired last year when she hurt her wrist during one of her matches.”

“I remember now, my dad had mentioned it one day.” She turned around to see Nora swinging around a toy hammer that she had with her. “He had said the injury wasn’t severe.”

“It wasn’t, but Nora decided that she didn’t want to chance it.” Yang didn’t comment any further since they had reached their destination. “Hey guys! Pyrrha, Jaune, this is my girlfriend Blake Belladonna.”

“Hello!” the red head – Pyrrha – greeted warmly. She was dressed as a Greek goddess, but behind her back she had a long sphere attached to her back as well as a shield. “It’s nice to finally meet you. This is my boyfriend, Jaune.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Blake smiled at them both. Jaune appeared to be some kind of Greek warrior. She studied their costumes a bit before speaking again. “Are you supposed to be Athena and…?”

“Hercules,” Jaune answered shyly. “It was Pyrrha’s idea to be Greek gods. She’s actually studying Greek mythology.”

“That’s just part of it, actually. My major is anthropology and Greek studies is just something to do on the side to help with my studies.”

“Right, sorry.”

“Anthropology? I’ve always been interested in that particular field of study.” Blake said with a smile.

“Really? It’s definitely something that has kept my interest all these years.” Pyrrha replied with a smile of her own. “Do you also go to school, Blake?”

“No, I don’t.” she said with a sad smile. “I’m actually a bartender at my best friends bar.”

“Oh, I see. Yang and Ruby have both talked about the bar a few times, Sea Monkeys, right?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

They continued to chat for a little bit, Jaune contributing a bit, all the while Yang was standing at her side, running her gloved hand up and down her bare waist. It was a small comfort, knowing she was there and enjoying the conversation just as much as Blake was.

Eventually the conversation shifted to UFC and Yang began talking about her next match that was going to be taking place in the middle of November. Of course, she knew who she was going up against next, but she wasn’t allowed to talk about it.

“It’s not a title match, which is something I can say.” Yang explained. “But I’m super excited! I hope that you guys will be able to come this time.”

“I’m sure I can get some time off from the hospital since you’re telling us now.” Jaune answered. He looked over at Blake who had a confused expression on her face. “I’m a nurse over at Vale Hospital so sometimes it’s hard to get days off. I’m lucky I had tonight off.”

Blake nodded her head before shifting her weight nervously. She had gone to Vale Hospital a few times to get looked over. She couldn’t remember ever seeing Jaune, but it still made her a little apprehensive. Yang seemed to sense her uneasiness and pulled her closer to her, kissing her temple before loosening her grip on her shoulder. Blake looked up at her and gave her a small smile before squeezing her gently. Blake was right about to ask Yang if she wanted a drink when commotion was heard from the front of the house.

They all turned to see Weiss walking out of the house, and Blake had to do a double take to make sure that it was actually her best friend walking outside of the house.

“Oh, my gods…you’ve got to be kidding me.” came Yang’s response that was quickly followed by laughter.

Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Diamond Company came walking out of the house dressed exactly like Elsa from Frozen. Blake stood there frozen (no pun intended) as the heiress walked down the stairs and towards her girlfriend who was beaming at her. Suddenly, Ruby’s costume made sense; she was wearing a pair of brown capris and a blue sweater that had glitter along it to resemble snowflakes along with a long wooden staff; a gender bent version of Jack Frost. Blake smiled as she saw Ruby holding out her hand to Weiss who took it, Ruby bowing before her. The white-haired girl rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t stop the blush that ran along her cheeks.

“Whoa, the Ice Queen dressed up as the literal Ice Queen. Kudos to you, girlfriend.” Scarlet said while nodding his head in admiration.

“It’s definitely better than coming as a boring pirate.” Neptune joked.

“Watch your mouth, street rat.”

They both began to laugh, and Blake rolled her eyes affectionately. “I can’t believe she actually dressed up as Elsa.”

“I can’t believe it, either. It’s nice to know she has a great sense of humor.” Yang laughed. She leaned down to her ear and whispered. “I still like your costume better.”

Blake let out a small laugh and leaned into Yang’s side, nuzzling her cheek. “You’re such a dork.”

“You love me.” the blonde said smugly.

Blake felt her heart skip a beat as she looked up at Yang’s smiling face. Her attention was elsewhere, and she had such a warm and light smile to her face that made Blake smile herself. It was the first time Yang had ever said the word “love” and even though she hadn’t meant it that way, she was wondering if she felt that way towards her. These past few months had been incredible; probably the best couple of months of Blake’s life. But was it too soon to be thinking about love? She knew she felt something for Yang, something stronger than just liking her or even calling it a crush, but love? She wasn’t sure but just the thought about it made her heart soar within her chest.

Tai poked his head out not long after Weiss’ grand appearance and asked Yang to come and help him with something inside. Yang seemed reluctant at first but ultimately went inside, giving Blake a kiss on her temple before she did. Blake watched as she walked inside after her dad and once the door swung shut, she let out a small exhale before going over to where Ruby and Weiss were standing.

“It would seem as if now your ringtone is appropriate.” Blake teased as she stood next to her best friend.

“Ha, ha.” Weiss laughed dryly.

“How did you manage to convince her, Ruby?”

“I just gave her my best puppy dog eyes and she agreed! Plus, I reminded her multiple times that it was for my birthday.” The brunette said with pride. She pulled the shorter girl closer to her and gave her cheek a kiss. “Thank you though for doing this. I really appreciate it.”

Weiss beamed up at Ruby before pulling her into a quick kiss. Blake awed at them and Weiss pushed her shoulder lightly, all three girls laughing. Ruby inquired about Yang and Blake explained that Tai had called her inside to help with something. Glancing towards the drink table, she turned to both girls and asked if they wanted anything to drink. Ruby asked for her to surprise her and Weiss asked for a tequila sunrise. She made her way over where Scarlet was still making drinks for everyone and when she got close, she bumped him with her hip, making him scoot over.

“What are you doing over here? What happened to your captain?”

“She went inside to help her dad with something. I volunteered to make drinks for Ruby and Weiss so move it.”

“So feisty.” He teased, sticking out his tongue. “I was just finishing up anyways. Jauney-Boy asked me to make him something that wasn’t too strong.”

“I really hope you listened to him; he’s driving everyone home tonight.”

“Don’t worry, I made him a margarita with half of a shot. He’ll totally be fine.”

Blake rolled her eyes as he walked away to take Jaune his drink and he ended up staying over there, talking to him and Pyrrha. The first drink she made was Weiss’ since it would be the easiest. As for Ruby’s…she had no idea what to make her. Definitely something sweet, she figured as she began to grab some flavored vodka and some fruit punch. Once it was done, she walked back over to where the two girls were standing and handed them each a drink before going back to grab her own that she had left behind.

Yang still hadn’t come back from inside and Blake was beginning to wonder what she was doing. Ruby had already drunk most of her beverage and was already asking for another one, her face already flush from the alcohol. Weiss advised her to slow down since it was still fairly early in the night for her to be drunk. The brunette listened to her and slung her arm around her shoulders, letting her know that she wouldn’t get crazy like she had last year. Blake laughed as she recalled the information that Yang had told her about Ruby’s twenty first birthday and how she had been so drunk that she had genuinely believed that Nora who was dressed up as Weiss was really the heiress.

The screen door opened, and they all turned to see Yang holding a large three-tiered cake in her hands. There were candles on top of the cake, waiting to be lit. Ruby squealed in excitement and everyone began to cheer as Yang set the cake down on one of the tables that held all the food. The cake was white with red trimming around it and on the side it said, “Happy birthday Ruby!” in red frosting. Weiss explained to her that each layer was a different flavor; the top one was red velvet, followed my vanilla and ending in chocolate. She also went to say that she got the cake from Ruby’s favorite bakery in Vale. Ruby pulled her into a hug after that and kissed her for quite a length of time, even going as far to dip her, causing all of their friends to start cheering and whooping with joy. Once they parted, they both had blushes on their faces and Blake couldn’t help but smile; she was so happy for both of her friends.

The candles were lit by Tai and everyone gathered around the cake, and on a count of three, they all began singing happy birthday to Ruby. Once they were done, they all clapped and told Ruby to make a wish. Her face became pinched in concentration as she thought of her wish and moments later, she blew out her candles and more cheers were heard from everyone.

The cake was cut afterwards, and everyone ate a piece, talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Blake was more than sure she hadn’t laughed this hard or this much with so many people in such a long time. As the night went on, Blake began to realize that Scarlet wasn’t letting her cup remain empty and she was starting to feel a decent buzz begin. By this point, both Ruby and Nora were both drunk and were singing some random song together at the top of their lungs. No matter how hard she tried, Blake could not stop laughing. She was genuinely enjoying everyone and was disappointed when Jaune announced they had to leave.

“The last ferry leaves at twelve fifteen.” Pyrrha explained as she carried a drunk Nora on her back. “If we don’t leave now we’ll have to stay and even though Tai would be alright with it, it’s best if we leave. Jaune has work in the morning and I have a class at nine thirty.”

“It’s understandable.” Yang commented while taking a sip of her drink. “Just be careful going home and if you can, text one of us whenever you get there.”

“Does this mean you’re leaving too?” Blake asked Sun and Neptune.

“Yeah we’ll have to if we want to get back to Vale.” Said Sun as he looked over at a tipsy Neptune who was playing around with Sage’s fake sword. “Besides, I have to get him to bed before he hurts someone. Plus, it’ll be better to get him across the ocean while he’s drunk. I don’t want to have to worry about it while he’s sober.”

“Aw you guys are going to take my singing buddy away from me!” Ruby whined as she tried to tug on Nora’s arm.

“You can always sing with Weiss.” Pyrrha tried to reason while holding on to a squirming Nora who was laughing at Ruby’s effort.

“Or you can sing with Blake.” Weiss shrugged while sipping from her cup.

“You know how to sing?!” Ruby yelled while running/stumbling over to where Blake was standing.

“Not as well as Weiss but I can hold a tune.” She said while looking away, a shy smile on her lips.

“You have to sing with me!” Ruby demanded while trying to give her the puppy dog eyes. “Please, Blake!”

“How about,” Yang interrupted. “you go and open up some of your presents? That big one over there is from dad.”

Ruby cheered with excitement before grabbing ahold of Weiss and dragged her over to where a huge box was sitting on a table. While Ruby was distracted, everyone began to say their goodbyes. Sun, Scarlet, Sage, and Neptune all gave Blake a hug before also giving Yang one; they promised to text either one of them once they arrived home and Blake watched as they piled into Sage’s car and drove off.

Blake was nearly tackled to the ground when an excited Nora went to hug her after finally climbing down from Pyrrha’s back. Blake was in such a good mood that she laughed and returned the hug that she was being given before Nora pulled away and exclaimed how happy she was that she was finally able to meet her. Ren came up to them both and gave a slight bow, agreeing with Nora. Jaune and Pyrrha both gave a quick goodbye before they all chased after Nora who was dragging Ren along behind her.

“Your friends are very loud, but really fun.” Blake commented when Yang came to stand next to her. “I like them.”

“I’m glad you do, sweetheart. I know they like you too.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Nora told me six times in a row while we were saying goodbye and Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren all agreed with her.” Yang kissed her cheek. “You had nothing to worry about, babe.”

Blake smiled up at her and kissed her gently, letting her lips linger a few seconds longer before pulling away and walking the short distance to where Ruby and Weiss were still trying to open the present that was from Tai. Upon realizing that everyone had left, Ruby began to pout but it instantly turned into a smile when Blake pulled out a small package from inside her cube purse. Inside of the red wrapping paper, passed the small box, was a red music box with an engraved rose that once it wound up, played a soothing lullaby. Blake explained that she got it because it was red and had a rose on it and that she also wasn’t entirely sure what to get her.

“There’s also a gift card to that bakery you like.” She said. “Weiss had told me that you like the cookies there.”

“Thank you, Blake!” the brunette exclaimed while hugging her tightly. “I love it!”

All four girls slowly made their way inside after that. Shoes were removed as everyone began to relax in Tai’s living room where he was now sitting and watching TV with Zwei on his lap. They were all having a few more drinks – all except Ruby who was content with sipping out of a water bottle that Blake insisted she drink. They all sat around talking and joking until almost two in the morning when Tai stood up from his chair and told all of them goodnight. He and Zwei both went up the stairs where Blake heard his bedroom door close with a click.

Even then, they stayed sitting down on the couch, chatting about how they hadn’t even announced a winner for the best costume. Yang said it should go to both her and Blake, but Blake argued by saying it should go to Ruby and Weiss since the Ice Queen literally dressed up as the Ice Queen. Weiss only rolled her eyes as she snuggled closer to Ruby who was beginning to doze off on the couch. It was decided not long after that both her and Ruby were going to bed and they watched as both girls walked slowly up the stairs, Ruby saying multiple times how much she loved Weiss and was happy that she was there for another birthday. Blake could hear Weiss’ soft replies of how much she loved her too and wouldn’t have missed her birthday for the world. She was more than sure that those words weren’t meant for anyone else to hear, so Blake didn’t make a comment to Yang who was leaning back against the sofa, one of her arms draped around her shoulders.

“Should we go to bed too?” Blake asked after a moment of silence.

“We can if you want.”

“I think we should. I’m feeling kinda drunk.”

“Oh, really?”

“Don’t get any ideas, Xiao Long.” Blake teased as she stood up from the sofa, stumbling a bit.

Yang stood up after her and was quick to sweep Blake off her feet, causing the Faunus to squeal in protest. It reminded her of the day they had spent at the beach except this time the only place Yang would probably throw her was on the bed. Blake snuggled into her warmth and let out a content sigh as Yang carried her up the stairs and into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her and plunging them both into darkness.

Once Blake was settled on her feet, she looked up at Yang and caressed her cheek. She let her hand trail down her jaw and neck, stopping on the zipper to her costume.

“Blake, I really don’t think we should do anything since you’ve had a lot to drink.” Yang spoke softly.

“I know that. I’m just helping you out of your costume; I promise.” Blake whispered back.

She gently tugged at the zipper and visibly swallowed as she took in the sight before her. The zipper went all the way down to Yang’s navel and once it reached the end, she went and grabbed hold of Yang’s hand, tugging off the glove and dropping it to the floor before she did the same with the other. Blake trailed her fingertip up Yang’s body, starting from her belly button and going up, up, up until her hand rested on her collar bone. By this point, the woman in front of her was breathing heavily and clenching her fists. Bring up her other hand, Blake slowly slipped her fingers under the material of her costume and pushed it off her shoulders pulling the material down until her arms were free and she was standing in only her bra, the costume hanging loosely from her hips.

Leaning forward, Blake placed a kiss right above Yang’s heart, nuzzling the area with her cheek. “I really wish I weren’t drunk right now. There’s nothing I want more than to have you right now.”

“We have plenty of time for that, sweetheart.” Yang replied. “Let’s finish getting ready for bed, okay?”

Blake nodded her head and watched silently as Yang went over to her bedside lamp and flicked it on, casting her room in a soft yellow glow. Even though Blake wanted to continue to stare at her, she turned away and reached for her over night bag and pulled out her pajamas. She undressed quickly and put on her pjs before turning to the mirror that Yang had; she pulled out a makeup wipe and began to clean her face before discarding the dirty wipe into the trash. Yang came up behind her and did the same thing before announcing she was going to use the bathroom and brush her teeth; she had already changed into an orange muscle shirt and black shorts.

While Yang was in the bathroom, Blake took her hair out of it’s ponytail and began brushing out all of the tangles and while she was doing this, she reflected on how well her day went and how much fun she had celebrating Ruby’s birthday as well as meeting Yang’s closest friends. They all seemed to get along greatly and she could vaguely remember all of them saying they’d go and check out Sea Monkeys once the found the time. Another thought occurred to her as she began to braid out her hair, that she still had no idea when Yang’s birthday was. Almost as if on que, Yang came walking back into the bathroom.

She turned to her. “When’s your birthday?”

“July fifteenth. When’s yours?”

“Aw, I missed it.” She said sadly. “But mine is November seventeenth.”

“Oh, so I have plenty of time to plan for your birthday.” Yang said with a grin. “But don’t worry about missing my birthday. I got what a wished for.”

“And what did you wish for?” Blake asked curiously, turning to face her.

“I found someone amazing, smart, funny, and beautiful.” She said seriously while moving closer to her. She gave her a smirk before continuing. “Also, someone who has a great butt.”

Blake laughed, smacking her arm lightly. “You are so full of shit.” Yang laughed while pulling her into her arms, kissing her jaw before moving down to place a kiss on her neck. “I have to go brush my teeth.”

Yang sighed but pulled away, letting Blake know that she would be waiting for her in bed. The cat Faunus quickly went to the bathroom and did her business before brushing her teeth and splashing her face with water. She tiptoed back to Yang’s room where she was sitting in bed, her scroll in her hand. She was frowning at whatever was on the screen but as soon as she realized Blake had come back, she set her scroll down on the end table and gave her a bright smile.

“Ready for bed?” she asked her.

She was definitely going to have to ask her about this in the morning. “Yes, I am.” Blake made her way towards the bed and once she slid under the covers, Yang turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness. Blake wasted no time in sliding over to the furnace that was her girlfriend and snuggling into her side, causing the blonde woman to laugh.

“Sometimes I think you’re only with me for my body heat.”

“That and your abs.” Blake mumbled into her shoulder.

“I knew it.”

“Whatever.” It was silent for a moment longer before Blake let out a sigh. “You’re better than any book I’ve ever read.”

“That’s really corny, sweetheart.” Yang replied while pulling her closer to her, kissing her forehead.

“I guess you’re rubbing off on me.”

“In more ways than one.”

“You’re infuriating. And annoying.”

“You love me.”

There it was again, that four letter word that had once scared Blake like no other. She made a small noise in the back of her throat and pressed her face into the crook of Yang’s neck, exhaling slowly and causing the woman beside her to shudder. As usual, Yang was the first one to fall asleep, her soft snores filling the room. Blake wasn’t too far behind since the alcohol was beginning to take over, but as she lay there in the arms of the most wonderful woman she had ever met she began to realize that maybe she was starting to believe that she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally I was going to have Blake's birthday be on National Black Cat Day, but I realized two things a little too late: one, apparently there are two days and one day is August 17th and the second is October 27th. Two, while I could have technically gotten away with the August 17th date, I could have sworn the other date was November 27th and not October, so that's why I waited so long to do the whole birthday thing. Buuuut seeing as Ruby's birthday is confirmed being on Halloween and I had already written about it, I wouldn't be able to go back and fix it. Which is why I decided to give Blake the birthday of November 17th instead. There's really no special reason behind the date; I just decided to keep the month of November and use the number seventeen; for me it's just appealing lol.
> 
> Writers block was seriously no joke with this chapter. I am happy about the way it came out though, so it was definitely for the best that I did not rush it. Hopefully, you guys feel the same way too!
> 
> I'm so excited about the V7 soundtrack finally being out! And how about that small V8 clip we got?! I watched it with my best friend and we both squealed in excitement. I'm so happy she finally caught up completely with all the volumes of RWBY.
> 
> Just a heads up but the writing process is going to be a little slower since I'm currently in the process of moving! But do not fret because I have a little something that I'm going to be posting in the next few days so be sure to keep an eye out for that =) thank you all for your continued suppose and patience for this story!
> 
> @VioletSkye413


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy one year anniversary to Furious Love! It was on the sixth but my dorky self thought it was on the ninth and I had planned to post this chapter on the anniversary date only to realize I was a few days late x) either way, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

The next morning was a bustle of activity as soon as everyone woke up. Weiss was the first one up, as was usual, and not long after, Blake joined her in the kitchen. She had all but had to pry herself from Yang’s embrace seeing as the blonde woman didn’t want to let her go while she was sleeping. She had thought it was cute at first until her bladder started demanding her attention. Now, she was sitting across from Weiss at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of super strong coffee that the heiress had made. Blake had teased her about it in which the white-haired girl scoffed, letting Blake know that she had never made coffee from grounds instead of a pod. The cat Faunus had laughed good heartedly at her friend before settling down.

Although, it honestly didn’t help ease her laughter completely when Taiyang came downstairs and got some coffee too, commenting on how strong the coffee was before asking if Weiss had made it. Blake’s laughter ensued again, causing Weiss to blush furiously and pick up her scroll to ignore the pair.

After the laugher died out once again, Tai asked if either of them wanted breakfast but before they could answer, there was a loud banging sound followed by a shout of surprise. Blake’s ears twitched vigorously as she heard Yang’s yell of frustration followed by Ruby’s laughter. That laughter quickly turned into a shriek followed by a chorus of “no, no, no!” before another loud bang was heard. Blake turned to look at Tai who was already sighing and holding his head in his hands while shaking it in shame.

He inhaled deeply before looking up at the ceiling. “I swear to the gods they do this every time they come over just to annoy me.” Taiyang left the kitchen shortly afterwards and Weiss and Blake stared at each other briefly before they burst into laughter.

“What the hell was that all about?” Weiss asked between laughter.

“I honestly have no idea! But I think Ruby might have attacked her in her sleep.” moments later, they both heard Tai getting after the sisters and Blake heard them both say they were sorry in quieter tones. “I can’t wait to find out what happened.”

Turns out, Ruby decided it would be funny to jump on Yang while she was sleeping. The first loud bang they heard was the baseboard of Yang’s bed breaking. The second bang was Yang tackling Ruby to the floor. Both girls sat down at the table, their faces red from embarrassment; Tai came into the kitchen with a scowl on his face. When he made eye contact with Weiss and Blake he gave them a wink before heading to the fridge so he could make breakfast.

The rest of the day went by without a problem, and for the most part all they did was clean up from the previous night before all sitting down in the living room to watch a movie. They would be leaving in a couple of hours and before they all made the commute back, they wanted to spend a little more time with Tai. No one was even watching the movie; they were all too busy talking to one another to even focus on it. Blake was laughing and watching how they all interacted with each other; she had never seen them in this context before and it was fun and refreshing. Tai was telling her stories from Yang’s childhood, including the story of the first (and last) time she got her hair cut. Apparently she was so mad that she broke the poor guys hand. Yang was so embarrassed and hid her face behind her hands, asking her dad to kindly shut up but all he did was laugh.

An hour before they were set to leave, Blake and Yang went upstairs so that they could pack whatever belongings they had. It didn’t take them long and soon; they were putting everything in the trunk of Blake’s car. Ruby and Weiss were going to stay for a bit longer so they could stay and have dinner with Tai, but Yang was ready to go home. They gave their goodbyes, giving hugs to everyone and promising that they’d text once they got to Yang’s apartment.

It was almost an hour until they finally made it home. Traffic had been horrible and on more than one occasion, Blake had to slam on her breaks and honk her horn. Needless to say, once they made it inside Blake collapsed onto the couch and sighed heavily; sometimes she hated driving. Yang was relaxing on the love seat, her scroll in hand. She sighed before throwing the device on the cushion next to her.

“Did you want to stay here or go to your place?”

“I don’t care either way.” She answered honestly.

“Maybe we should go to your place. We can hang out with Sun and Neptune if they’re there.”

“That’s fine.” Blake sighed before turning her head to look at Yang. “I really don’t want to drive though.”

“I can drive. You’ll just have to bring me back tomorrow.”

She hummed in agreement and watched as Yang stood up from her spot on the couch and walked to her room. Blake could hear her rummaging around her bag that she had brought up and curiosity got the better of her as she pushed herself up and walked into her bedroom before sitting on her bed. Yang was carrying a pile of dirty clothes and was placing it in the hamper in her bathroom before coming back out. She hadn’t noticed her at first but when she saw her sitting down, she went over and gave her a kiss on her forehead before going back to unpacking her costume. Yang was humming to herself as she began to pull out different shirts. After deciding on one, she tugged off the shirt she was currently wearing and dropped it onto the floor. Blake wondered briefly why she was changing in the first place, but the sight of her in only her bra distracted her for only a moment before she asked another question instead.

“Do you own any shirts that don’t have your logo on them?” Blake asked curiously as she watched Yang tug on a black muscle shirt that had a large yellow dragon on the back along with her initials.

“I do, but I only wear these when I’m going to the gym.” Yang replied once her head popped out from the top.

“Why?”

She pulled off another shirt from a hanger and tossed it over to Blake who caught it before answering. “It’s mainly for marketing reasons. I know some people probably think that I’m full of myself; that I’m conceited. But it really is for marketing; if I wear a shirt and people think it’s cool, then they’ll go and buy it. It helps out for all the people who work for me, especially during down time.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” Blake nodded before she folded up the shirt Yang had tossed her and placed it in her bag. Looking at her up and down, she smirked. “You know, we’re just going to my apartment. No reason for you to wear it.”

“Really?” Yang drawled lazily. “Well, why don’t you just come over here and take it off then?”

Blake really wasn’t about to back down from this challenge; not at all. Yang was still facing the other direction, trying to figure out what else she was going to take for her night at Blake’s. In one quick motion, Blake stood from the bed and walked into the closet, grabbing onto Yang’s hips, turning her around to face her. Yang let out a startled gasp before her eyes landed on Blake. Not saying a word, Blake grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over Yang’s defined abs and over her ample chest. Tugging it off of her completely, she tossed the shirt onto the floor, her eyes roaming over the expanse of skin that was in front of her. Yang was breathing heavily, her chest heaving at each inhale. Blake looked back up at Yang, their eyes locking; she smiled at her.

“You didn’t think I would do it, did you?”

“I hoped you would.”

“I’m glad I did.” without saying anything else, Blake kissed her. Yang was quick to reciprocate. She placed her hands back on Yang’s hips before letting them run up her smooth skin, causing Yang to break out in goosebumps. She let her fingers glide back down, finding the button of her blue jeans. Blake popped it off and eased the zipper down, her ears twitching at the sound. “Is this okay?” Blake whispered.

“Yes.” Yang said breathless.

No more words were said as Blake pushed her jeans down her legs, Yang helping along by stepping out of them once they reached the floor. In one quick motion, the blonde had Blake’s shirt off and on the floor before she made quick work of removing her leggings. They were only in their underwear when Yang picked her up by her thighs, causing the Faunus to squeal that was cut off by Yang kissing her again. She walked her over to the bed where she laid her down gently, breaking their kiss in the process.

She began to trail kisses down Blake’s jaw and to her chest, leaving behind a mark right above her breast. Blake didn’t bother trying to quiet the moans that she was letting out and it only seemed to urge the blonde on top of her. Yang sat up, kneeling between her legs and smiled at her; she let her hands trail down her body, her nails lightly scratching along her smooth skin. She began to plant little kisses down Blake’s body, stopping right above the top of her underwear. Blake couldn’t look away even if she wanted to; Yang looked up at her and gave her a smirk before moving lower, placing a kiss right where Blake wanted her the most. She lifted her hips up, causing Yang to laugh. She skimmed her fingers up to the elastic of her underwear and began to pull down. Blake watched with anticipation as –

Yang’s scroll began to ring.

The blonde stopped what she was doing and let out a growl. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

“Don’t answer it.” Blake all but demanded.

“Sorry baby, it’s Qrow. I have to answer since we’re only a few weeks away from my match. Give me five minutes.” She kissed the inside of her thigh before getting off the bed and heading towards the living room.

Blake huffed out her annoyance before sitting up in bed. She had been looking forward to that all weekend since they hadn’t had a chance to have sex since they were staying with Tai. It was an unfortunate setback but one that couldn’t be helped at the moment. Even if it did ruin the mood, they could always try and pick up where they left off once they got to her own apartment.

“No, Qrow!”

Blake flinched as she heard Yang’s raised voice and instinctively brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. She talked with Qrow for a few more minutes before she heard her saying bye followed by a loud thud. Blake could hear her muttering under her breath, hear her walking back towards the bedroom. Once Yang filled up the doorway and saw her, she could see her expression soften.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah…you just startled me when you started yelling.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go off like that I just –” Yang sighed heavily before going over to her and sitting in front of her. She rubbed her face with her hands before speaking. “There’s just a lot of crap going on and I’m having a hard time dealing with it.”

Blake spoke softly. “Does this have to do with what happened yesterday? When you were talking with your dad?”

“Yes and no.” she replied. “It’s a mixture of things and –” she sighed again before removing her hands so she could look at Blake. “Qrow text me last night before we went to bed letting me know that the press has caught wind about our relationship. He was telling me that he thinks we should go public with it. I keep telling him no because it’s up to us on when we decide that. I know that was one thing you were worried about and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it sooner.”

She let Yang’s words sink into her before she answered. Blake had already figured that this was bound to happen. They had gone out publicly during the past couple of months and while they weren’t overly affectionate with each other, they did still hold hands and had occasionally kissed on some of these public outings. It was only natural that some tabloid magazine or even a fan would post about it.

“It’s okay. I know you’re just trying to do the right thing.” Blake gave her a small smile. “Is that also what you and your dad were talking about before the party?”

“No…that was something else.” Yang stayed silent for a moment before she laid back on her bed, sighing. “Ruby and I are half-sisters.” She started; her eyes stuck to the ceiling. “My dad and Summer knew each other back when they were in middle school, but they wouldn’t end up together until many years later. During that time, my dad met Qrow and they became quick friends. At the same time, he also met Qrow’s twin sister, Raven…my mom. They ended up together and got married right out of high school and not too long after she got pregnant with me. After she had me she just…left. No explanation, no nothing.”

“Oh.” Came Blake’s genius response.

“Yeah, oh.” Yang said with a small laugh. “If it wasn’t for Summer, I have no idea what would have happened to my dad and me.”

“Have you ever asked her why she left?” Blake asked softly,

“Once, but Raven isn’t one to give straight answers.” Yang scoffed. “I finally just stopped trying to reconnect with her. She had called my dad yesterday and wants to meet up to have dinner; that’s what he was telling me yesterday before the party. I have no idea what the fuck she wants now, but I don’t care.”

Blake watched as the hand that was resting on Yang’s stomach clenched into a fist. Without thinking, she crawled over to Yang and laid down next to her, grabbing ahold of the hand that she was squeezing tightly and intertwined their hands together, squeezing her hand in comfort. Yang finally broke eye contact with the ceiling to look over at Blake who was giving her a reassuring look, at least Blake thought she was. She moved over to where she was laying right by her side and kissed her shoulder, giving Yang physical comfort that she was sure she needed. The blonde next to her squeezed her hand before letting out a sigh.

“I didn’t want to unload all of this on you. At least, not right now. I was planning on telling you, just not in the way I did.” Yang explained.

“Sometimes things don’t turn out the way we want them.” Blake sighed before nuzzling her head against Yang’s shoulder. “But you still trusted me with the truth and for that I am thankful. I know it was probably difficult for you to talk about.”

“It was, but I’m happy you were here, and you just listened to me. That means more to me then you’ll ever know.”

Blake snuggled in deeper and let out a sigh of contentment as Yang leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss to her forehead. The sexual mood between them had disappeared, but honestly, Blake was content with just this. Laying with Yang and just having her next to her. Yang’s scroll once again began to ring, and she sighed heavily before getting up and going to the living room where she had left it.

This time, Blake got out of bed as well and went to gather their clothes that they had previously been wearing. She had a feeling that they wouldn’t be continuing where they left off. Her feeling was confirmed when Yang came back with a sour looking face; she explained that she had to go to the gym to do some sort of paperwork. Blake already had her leggings on at this point.

“Did you want me to drop you off?” she asked while putting her shirt on. “Did you still want to come back to my apartment?”

“I’ll drive Bumblebee over there; I’m not sure how long it’s going to take and knowing Qrow he’ll try and squeeze some training time out of it. But I definitely want to go back to your place…that way we can continue where we left off.” Yang said with a wink while grabbing her pants and quickly putting them on. She went back into her closet and put on the shirt that Blake had taken off of her only minutes before. “Looks like this shirt is appropriate after all.”

Blake rolled her eyes but laughed, nonetheless. After they finished getting dressed, Yang carried their bags into the living room, Blake following behind her. It didn’t take them long to get all the things they needed and moments later they were heading out of Yang’s apartment and down the elevator towards Blake’s car where she opened the trunk and the blonde woman put their bags inside. They said a quick goodbye and Yang promised she’d text her once she got to the gym and later when she was on her way to Blake’s apartment.

Ten minutes later, Blake was carrying their bags into her apartment where she tossed them onto the couch, letting out a long breath. She should probably start working out again if just going up the stairs with three bags was winding her. Maybe she could finally have that sparring match with Yang; she smiled at the thought. It would definitely be fun to do that, but she wasn’t sure if she were in the best shape for that.

Pushing the thought aside for later, Blake went to her bedroom where she switched on the lights and exhaled; she was happy to be home. Unfortunately, now she had to unpack all of her clothes that she had taken as well as whatever else she had. She quickly put her hair up and went back to the living room and began to unpack her things, throwing her dirty clothes in the hamper and putting away everything else. Once she was done with that, she grabbed her laundry basket and carried it out of her room and to the small laundry room they had inside the apartment. After throwing in her clothes and setting them to wash, she went back to her room where she threw herself onto the bed. The apartment was quiet since Sun and Neptune were at his apartment and there wasn’t anything she could do aside from take a nap.

Deciding to do just that, she set her alarm for two hours and soon enough drifted off to sleep. She awoke two hours later and saw a text from Yang letting her know that she was going to train for an hour before heading to the apartment. She replied quickly, letting her know that was okay and that she’d be sure to have dinner waiting for her.

As she was finishing dinner, her scroll began to ring. Looking at the screen, she smiled when she saw her mother’s picture.

“Hey, mom.”

_“Hey sweetheart! I just wanted to check in with you since we haven’t heard from you in a few days. Is everything okay?”_

“Yes, everything is fine. Sorry I didn’t respond to you yesterday; we were celebrating Ruby’s birthday and I left my scroll inside to charge.”

_“That’s alright, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Oh, and also ask you what you were planning on doing for Thanksgiving after all. Your father and I are going to be staying here since he has a lot of work to do, so if you want to join us here you can.”_

“I honestly haven’t thought much of it…” Blake answered honestly while biting her lower lip. She walked over to their wall calendar and sighed. “I need to double check with Sun to see what the schedule’s like for everyone. I think this year they were going to fly to Anima to visit Neptune’s parents. I’ll try and let you know soon.”

_“Alright, Blake. Oh, and see if Yang is going to be joining you as well. We would love to have her here!”_

“I’ll ask her, but I know she has a match sometime this month.” Her ear twitched as she heard the familiar sound of Yang’s motorcycle. “She actually just got here so I’ll ask her about it once she settles in for the evening.”

They both said a quick goodbye and Blake placed her scroll down on the table. She was excited to see Yang even though she had only seen her a few hours ago. She went to go open the door and as soon as they saw each other, Blake knew the feelings had been mutual with Yang as well.

Minutes later, Yang was sitting down at the kitchen table, complaining about how Qrow had made her do the most intense workout of her life. She was leaning back into the dining room chair as Blake finished up with their meal before placing it in front of her. They ate in comfortable silence and every so often, Blake would steal glances at Yang, taking in her appearance. She was so beautiful, and it still amazed Blake that she had managed to capture her attention. Yang caught her staring a few times but didn’t comment on it; she only knew she had caught her because Yang’s ears and cheeks would turn a bright red and a smile would tug at her lips.

Blake was content with sitting there in silence; she would ask her about her Thanksgiving plans later; after all, they had plenty of time.

~*~*~*~

A week had passed, and Blake still hadn’t found the time to talk to Yang about Thanksgiving. After they had finished dinner that night, they had finally been able to finish where they had left off the previous night as well as earlier during the day. They had both dozed off but got up shortly after Blake announced that Sun and Neptune had just gotten to the apartment. After that, they all sat down in the kitchen just talking and having a few drinks before Yang announced that she had to head to bed since she had a busy week ahead of her.

It definitely had been a busy week and during that time, Blake had hardly talked to her since her training schedule was so intense. During her brief downtime, Yang explained that Qrow was being extra hard on her because she had been slacking with her training. Even though Yang never full out said it, she kind of figured Qrow blamed her for Yang’s lack of practice. So, instead of staying focused on Yang, Blake focused on work and planning on her upcoming trip to Menagerie. She had finally agreed the day before and Kali was excited to hear that she was going but was quick to scold Blake on not having invited Yang.

“I’ll ask her tonight, mom.” Blake reasoned with her. “She’s been so busy with training that we’ve hardly had time to see each other let alone talk.”

It also didn’t help that their sleep schedules were opposite from each other. Whenever Yang was getting up for her morning run, Blake was getting ready for bed. They would text for a little bit until Blake passed out and once she awoke in the evening, Yang was usually still training and she wouldn’t be able to text her until eight but by that time Blake was already working and ever since Yang’s first appearance at Sea Monkeys, every night was unusually packed with people hoping to run into the blonde brawler.

_“I’m going absolutely insane because I haven’t seen you, sweetheart.” _Yang said over her scroll. _“I miss you.”_

“I miss you too babe.” Blake responded while leaning against some boxes in the back. She had snuck away so she could speak with Yang for a little bit. “I actually wanted to ask you something really quick.”

_“What’s up?”_

“Would you like to come with me to Menagerie for Thanksgiving? My parents invited us both to go. If you decided to come with me we’d leave the Tuesday before, but we wouldn’t be back until Sunday.”

_“Oh, babe, I really wish I could go but my match it two days after Thanksgiving.”_

“Damn, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that’s when your match was.” Blake felt her ears began to droop.

_“Don’t be sorry, that was my fault for not telling you sooner. I was going to surprise you with tickets on your birthday.”_

“What I’ve always wanted.” She answered sarcastically, earning a laugh from the blonde. “Who the hell schedule’s a match two days after Thanksgiving? Are you even going to be able to eat?”

_“Of course! I just have to work out extra hard for the next two days to make sure I meet the weight requirement.”_

Before Blake could respond she heard her name being called. She let out a curse and told Yang that she would have to talk to her later since she was being summoned by Neptune. They hung up and Blake made her way back towards the bar where she put on a smile and got back to work.

~*~*~*~

It was two days before her birthday and Blake was actually looking forward to it. Yang had already told her she was going to take her somewhere special and just the thought of that alone had Blake wondering what she was planning on doing.

“Do you have any idea?” she asked Weiss one evening as they chatted on their scrolls.

_“I’m sworn to secrecy.” _The heiress spoke. _“So, don’t ask me any more questions.”_

Blake sighed heavily but didn’t ask anything else. Later that evening, Weiss came over and dropped off a garment bag but instructed Blake not to open it until the day of her birthday. It’s all part of the surprise, the heiress said as she hung the bag up in her closet. There was even a separate box that had shoes in it that she also wasn’t allowed to open until the day of. Long after Weiss had left, she stood in her closet staring at the bag and wondered what exactly was in there.

Her birthday was finally upon her and she awoke that morning to Sun jumping on her and singing happy birthday while Neptune recorded the whole thing on his scroll. Blake demanded he delete it, but she simply said “no” before walking out of the room and leaving her to deal with Sun. He was already on his third sing through of happy birthday and she knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep after this. Grabbing her pillow, she shoved it in his face while he struggled to continue singing and push the pillow away.

“I’m going to murder you.” Blake said grumpily as he managed to pull the pillow out of his face.

“You won’t do it. Now get up birthday girl! We made you breakfast!”

“Sun, we literally went to sleep three hours ago!” she moaned as she pulled the blanket over her face. “You’re lucky I decided not to sleep naked.”

“That wouldn’t have stopped me, and you know it! It definitely would have made the video Nep recorded hella awkward though.” He pulled the blankets off of her. “Now get up! We literally slaved in the kitchen to make you this breakfast and you will eat it!”

Blake grumbled more but reluctantly got out of bed and followed Sun into the kitchen where not only Neptune was sitting at the table, but Scarlet and Sage were too. As soon as she walked in, they all began to sing happy birthday to her again and she hid her face behind her hands as they placed a cake that had twenty-five candles on it on top of the table. After they were done, she walked up to the cake, ready to blow out the candles when she finally looked at what was on it.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” she tried really hard to be angry, but she couldn’t stop the laughs that came out. On the cake was an edible picture of Yang and just seeing it was making Blake laugh harder. “You guys are the absolute worst!”

“Well, we all know how much you like eating Yang. What’s one more way you can really get a taste of her?”

“Scarlet!”

“Please tell me you got that on video?” Sun asked between laughs.

“Yup, and I’m totally going to share this for everyone to see.”

“I hate all of you!” Blake said but even though she wanted to be angry, she couldn’t stop laughing.

They all began to cheer for her to blow out the candles and make a wish. As she looked at the all-black candles on the cake, she could already feel a wish coming on; especially as she looked at the picture of Yang who was wearing her championship belt. Her smile never left her face as she blew out the candles, hoping that her wish actually came true.

As the day continued, Blake’s scroll was constantly ringing from people calling or even texting her to wish her happy birthday. She even got messages on her social media account from Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren wishing her a happy birthday. Her heart swelled with happiness as she replied to each of them, telling them thank you with a smiley face. Her parents had even called her and wished her a happy birthday and she tried not to cry as her mother began to sob about her little girl wasn’t little anymore. Ever since she turned eighteen she had been getting the same speech, but it had dawned on her that for a few years she hadn’t been able to hear it; Adam had gotten in the way of that.

Blake had shaken her head at that and spoke with her parents a little more. They had asked what she was going to be doing later in the evening and she answered honestly saying she had no idea, that Yang had planned out their evening and she had only been told to be ready by six in the evening. She still had a few more hours to go but she decided not to waste any time.

She sent a quick text to Yang asking if she could please look at her dress, so she knew what colors to do her makeup. She replied saying that she could but that she still wasn’t allowed to take it out of the bag. Blake sent mean face emojis along with an eye roll and all Yang replied with was the laughing face.

Taking a peek inside the bag, she saw that the dress was white with heavy black lacing on the dress; she couldn’t see much more than that but now that she had an idea on what she was going to wear and how she could do her makeup. She was so curious to see what the rest of the dress looked like, but she didn’t want to ruin the surprise that Yang had taken so much time and care preparing. Blake went to where she kept her makeup and began to pull out the different things she would need, setting them on her dresser before leaving her room to turn the shower on.

Fifteen minutes later, she was standing in front of her mirror in only her towel, trying to visualize how she was going to do her makeup. She decided to look up different makeup ideas and when she found one she liked, she saved the picture before going to grab undergarments and putting them on before putting on her black robe.

Twenty minutes later, she was done with her makeup and as she studied her reflection, she smiled; she had to admit that she looked damn good and she was excited that the way she did her makeup came out perfectly. Glancing at her scroll, she saw that it was already five o’clock; her heart began to flutter at the thought that in only an hour she was going to see Yang. Would it be alright to take the dress out now? She wondered to herself before picking up her scroll and asking Yang the same question she had just asked herself.

**Yang:** _Yessss that’s fine! I hope you like it babe :)_

**Me:** _I’m sure I will :) I’m so excited!_

Setting her scroll down, she walked over to the garment bag and unzipped it fully and carefully removed the dress from inside. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the appearance and there was absolutely no way she could stop her smile even if she wanted to. The dress had a beautiful flower design in the lace and the bodice was solid black with a corset style of ribbons going down the side. It would be too cold to wear it without some sort of cover, but luckily she had something that would be perfect to wear over it.

She slipped out of her robe before putting the dress on; it fit her perfectly and as she stared at her reflection, she was in awe of just how attractive she looked. The dress flattered her figure perfectly and she let out a laugh as she straightened out some of the cresses in the dress before finding the shade of lipstick she wanted. Once she was done, she studied her reflection once more before going to the shoe box; opening it up, she let out a small gasp as she looked at the shoes within. They were a simple pair of black heels that would crisscross around her ankles once she put them on; the bottom of the shoe was a deep red. They were definitely the nicest pair of shoes she had, and she couldn’t wait to put them on.

Fifteen minutes later, she was finished getting ready and was now standing in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. Once she was done, she applied some lipstick and headed into the kitchen where her small purse and shoes were located. Yang had text her saying she was going to be leaving soon and for Blake to be ready. She had also informed her that they were going to be driving her car since she didn’t want to take Bumblebee. Blake had replied to her saying that she was ready and waiting; by this point she had already slipped on her shoes and was standing anxiously in the living room. Her scroll dinged and when she looked at it, she had a text form Yang telling her that she was there. Footsteps were heard coming up the stairs followed by a knock on the door. Blake was quick to answer it and when she did, she lost all her breath at the sight before her.

Yang was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white button up shirt, a yellow tie around her neck. The sleeves of the simple white dress up shirt were rolled up to her elbows and the tie was a little crooked, adding to the overall effect of her outfit. Looking down, she saw that she was wearing high heels, too. Looking back up at Yang’s face, she noticed that Yang had also stopped what she was doing to take in her appearance.

“Wow,” she said breathless. “You look so beautiful, sweetheart.”

“So do you.” Blake responded. She moved closer to her and picked up the tie, running it through her fingers before she pulled Yang closer to her. Yang visibly swallowed causing Blake to smirk up at her. “Your tie is messed up.”

“I was in a rush before I left.” The blonde answered while rubbing the back of her neck.

“Were you excited to see a certain someone?” Blake continued to tease as she let her hands run up the silky material.

“Just this incredibly beautiful girl I call my girlfriend.” Yang shrugged but smiled.

“I’m thinking that she’s definitely lucky to have you.” As she reached the top, she slowly began to undo the tie. She could feel warmth blossoming throughout her lower stomach as she felt Yang’s breathing increase; she could even hear her heartbeat accelerating just from her proximity. It was definitely an impowering feeling; and a dangerous one. Blake quickly redid it and once she was done, she tugged on it once more, bringing Yang’s body flush against hers. “There,” she whispered against her lips. “All done.”

Yang’s lips crashed against hers and she let out a startled gasp as Yang cradled her face between her hands. Blake’s not entirely sure how it happened, but she was suddenly against the wall and Yang’s hands were now gripping her waist and trying to pull her closer, even though there was literally no space between their bodies. Blake was whispering Yang’s name between breaks of their kisses, not wanting to stop what they were doing. She didn’t care about their plans at the moment and all she wanted to do was take her to the couch and love her. She honestly would have done that if Yang hadn’t pulled away from her first, her chest heaving from their impromptu make out session.

“As much as I want to take you to the couch and have my way with you, we have to leave if we’re going to make our reservation.” She whispered as she kissed her once more. Blake let out an annoyed huff that had Yang laughing. “I know sweetheart, I’m so irresistible. But so are you.” She pulled away from her then and let out another laugh. “Oops; we definitely need to get cleaned up first. I kind of messed up your lipstick.”

“How bad is it?”

“It’s pretty bad.”

Blake sighed before giving Yang one more kiss and pulling away from her, heading towards the bathroom. Once she entered and turned on the light, she let out a laugh of her own. “Jeez, I look like a vampire after they finished their meal.”

“You’re a dork.” Yang said amusingly as she followed her in. She looked at herself in the mirror first before turning her gaze to Blake’s. “What does that make me?”

“My meal.” Blake teased; Yang rolled her eyes. Getting an idea, she pulled out her scroll and opened up the camera. She could see Yang’s curious look and she smiled. “I want to remember this moment.”

“You mean the moment I ruined your lipstick and made it get all over our faces?”

“Pretty much, yes.” She laughed again. Moving closer to her, she wrapped her arm around Yang’s waist and snuggled into her warmth. “Say cheese, babe.”

After the picture was taken and they looked at it for a moment while laughing, Blake grabbed two makeup wipes and cleaned up the mess she had on her lips before helping Yang with hers. Not long after, Blake had reapplied her lipstick and they were headed out the door, Yang with the keys to Blake’s car in her hand.

The drive over to their destination was spent with Yang asking how her day was and Blake going into detail about how Sun and Neptune had woken her up early so she could eat breakfast with the guys. Yang laughed and told her that she had seen the videos already, looking over briefly to wink at her. I had no idea you liked to eat me so much, babe, she had teased while reaching for Blake’s hand and giving it a squeeze. There was no stopping the laugh that escaped Blake’s lips as she turned her head away and rested her head against the window. You’re a jerk, had been her response, the smile never leaving her lips.

“So, I need a small favor from you.” Yang said a few minutes later as they waited at a stop light.

“What is it?”

“I need you to close your eyes for now until we get there. We’re about five minutes away or so but I really want where we go to be a surprise up until we get there.”

Blake agreed and shut her eyes and leaned against the seat. The car began to move a few moments later and during this time Blake tried to imagine where exactly Yang was taking her. She honestly didn’t have the faintest idea, but she figured it was somewhere formal seeing as they were both dressed to impress. Not as if Yang had to try really hard; she looked gorgeous in anything that she wore or didn’t wear for that matter Blake thought with a smile.

“Almost there, sweetheart.” Yang spoke softly while giving her hand another squeeze. The car came to a stop a few minutes later and Blake was eager to open her eyes and see where they were. “Ready?” she nodded. “Open your eyes.”

As soon as Blake’s golden orbs opened, she let out a shocked gasp as she realized where exactly they were. For so many years, Blake had passed by this particular restaurant and had always wanted to eat there, but it was way too expensive and even though Weiss always offered to take her, she had also made a comment that when she did go she wanted it to be for a special occasion and not just because. After all, Lighthouse was one of those places where you would go to propose to your significant other or even where important announcements were made.

“Yang are – are you really taking me to Lighthouse?” Blake asked quietly, too scared to raise her voice on the off chance that this was all a dream and she would wake up.

“Yes, I am. Anything for you, Blake.” Yang kissed the back of her hand, causing Blake’s eyes to well up with unshed happy tears. “Let’s go park so we can celebrate your birthday in style.”

Blake honestly couldn’t believe she was at Lighthouse. She had always wanted to come here but had never had an opportunity to do so. Until now. Everything about this place screamed elegance and Blake was trying to take it all in at once. As they were walking in, she couldn’t stop looking at all the different pictures on the walls and admiring the different decorations that covered various surfaces of the restaurant. The hostess had led them to a private table in the corner of the restaurant that overlooked ocean and just that view alone had Blake wanting to cry with happiness. She honestly didn’t even care if the food happened to taste bad, just the fact that Yang had brought her here of all places was enough to make her feel loved. Her attention shifted back to Yang and upon seeing the look of adoration on her face, she smiled shyly.

“Sorry…I’ve always wanted to come here and I’m happy that I finally get to.”

“I like seeing how happy you are, so don’t apologize for it.” Yang’s smile was so bright; Blake felt her heart speed up. “I can’t take all the credit though; I panicked and had to ask Weiss for advice.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that; I’m grateful you did.”

“Well, now she’s saying I owe her for life.” She said while shrugging her shoulders and laughing.

“It means a lot to me.” Blake said softly as she looked into her gorgeous colored eyes. “You mean a lot to me. These past few months have been so wonderful. You’ve been wonderful; and patient.” She paused before sighing heavily. “My relationship with Adam wasn’t the best…after it ended I kind of lost myself. Before we met I was already beginning to find myself again. Meeting you was the best possible thing that could have happened to me. You made everything brighter. So, thank you, Yang. Thank you for everything that you’ve done for me.”

All Yang did for a short while was stare at her in awe. She suddenly got up from the table and walked over to where Blake was sitting. Gently grabbing her face, she dipped down and kissed her lips softly. Yang pulled away but rested her forehead against Blake’s.

“Thank you, sweetheart. I…honestly don’t have any words right now.” She kissed her again, letting out a small laugh as she did. “Sorry for ruining your lipstick…again.”

Blake laughed at that too. “I’m beginning to wonder why I even bother wearing it in the first place.” She pulled away and looked up at Yang, smiling widely. “It doesn’t look too bad does it?”

“You look perfect.”

The rest of the evening went wonderfully. After they ordered their drinks and food, they talked back and forth about what they normally did for the holidays. Blake hadn’t really celebrated much since the last five years had been with Adam; all they usually did was go to the White Fang’s annual Christmas party and Thanksgiving was spent at home where Blake usually cooked something, and Adam would complain. Instead of mentioning any of that, she talked about her time celebrating in Menagerie and how excited she had been the first time she moved to Vale and saw snow, only to realize that she hated it almost ten minutes later. Yang laughed at her story and Blake couldn’t help the smile that was plastered to her face. It was only after she had finished talking about her first snowfall in Vale that Yang began to talk about the Christmas traditions they had in the Rose – Xiao Long household.

As soon as Thanksgiving was over, they would go try to find the perfect tree for their living room and once they found one, they would instantly put it up and decorate it. The week before Christmas they would spend it by baking cookies all day long while listening to the same old Christmas songs. Yang admitted that most of the time, the cookies never made it until Christmas because Ruby would eat them all, but it never stopped them from doing it in the first place. When Blake asked why, Yang gave her a sad smile and informed her that Summer had started that tradition with them after Ruby was born; it was something that they still did even years later. Blake really hoped that she would be able to be a part of that tradition, but she didn’t get a chance to comment on it since Yang was continuing on with her story. On Christmas Eve they would stay up until midnight and open presents and drink hot chocolate and the next day was spent with them lazing around the house in the Christmas themed pajamas and just enjoying the day by playing games and even venturing outside to make snowmen and snow angels.

Blake found herself daydreaming of Christmas on Patch. She wasn’t sure on what was going to happen during Christmas, but she figured she’d have time to figure it out. She almost snorted out loud; it had taken her almost a week to just see if Yang was going to be available for Thanksgiving. She was brought out of her inner thoughts when their waitress came by and put down a slice of strawberry cake with a single candle in front of her. Blake looked up at her curiously before turning to Yang who had a smile on her face.

“Happy birthday, baby.” Yang reached forward and grabbed hold of her hand, squeezing it gently. “I’m happy I was able to spend it with you, and I hope I get to spend your next birthday with you…and every birthday after that if you’d like me to.”

It almost felt as if Blake’s heart wanted to come out of her chest. She looked down momentarily and covered her mouth with her other hand, trying hard not to cry. She squeezed Yang’s hand and looked up at her, smiling widely. “I would like that very much, Yang.”

The smile that lit up Yang’s face was so bright that Blake almost wanted to look away. Yang encouraged her to blow out her candle and make a wish. As Blake did this, she had the sudden thought that she didn’t need to blow out a candle to make a wish, because she already had it with Yang.

~*~*~*~

Her birthday was definitely one for the books. Starting from her morning breakfast with the boys all the way to the evening with her date with Yang. After she had eaten and shared her cake with Yang, they went back to her apartment where Blake all but ripped Yang’s button up shirt off of her. I love it when you’re feisty, Yang had whispered against her lips as she trailed her hands up her dress to pull her underwear down.

Blake still got chills thinking about how they made love on the sofa. She knew that no one would be coming upstairs any time soon, but she still got a rush thinking about it. After they had finished, Blake had caressed Yang’s back and shoulders as the blonde lay on top of her, her cheek resting against her chest; she would randomly snuggle or kiss right by her heart and every time she did, Blake was more than sure she could hear how crazy her heartbeat would get.

“Hey,” Blake whispered.

“Yes, baby?” Yang asked while kissing her chest again.

“I was thinking…”

“Yes?”

“That if you wanted to…”

“Yes?”

“You could officially announce that we’re together.” Blake finished. Yang sat up then to stare into her eyes, her own lilac eyes swimming with excitement.

“Really?!”

“Yes, really. You can post it on your social media page…and then later on announce it at your match.”

Yang let out a laugh before moving up to give her a kiss. “I definitely wasn’t expecting you to say that, but I’m happy you did. But are you sure about me announcing it at my match?”

“Yes, I’m sure. That way when you when you can add one more thing to celebrate about. I’m ready, Yang. I honestly think I was ready a long time ago, I was just worried.”

“You have nothing to be worried about. But I really am happy you decided you’re ready for this.” Yang kissed her lips before working her way down her jaw and to her neck, all the way down to her chest. “Let me show you how happy I am…”

Blake definitely didn’t mind Yang’s show of appreciation.

After that, they had gone back to Blake’s room where they changed out of their remaining clothes and sat on her bed in only their underwear, talking and laughing with a movie playing in the background. The moment eventually ended the next day when Yang left early in the morning to continue with her training.

Currently, Blake was double checking to make sure she had everything for her upcoming trip. The next day she would be boarding a plane to Menagerie and the thought of not seeing Yang because of the distance was enough to make her heart hurt. She knew they’d be able to talk on their scrolls and it wouldn’t be any different for how they were communicating now, but it was mainly the thought of not having the option to see her that hurt the most.

Shaking her head to clear it, she continued packing the last-minute things she was going to need. The weather would be warm as usual, and she found herself digging in the back of her closet to get out the summer clothes she had recently stored away. Blake was definitely going to take advantage of the warm weather and work on her tan that had slowly began to disappear since she spent most of her time indoors. She had already spoken to Kali a few hours before and her mother had excitedly told her that she had her old room ready and waiting for her. Blake would be lying if she said she wasn’t at least a little bit excited.

The next day came way to soon and as she sat on the passenger side of Sun’s car as he drove her to the airport. Unfortunately, Yang wasn’t able to drive her to the airport and she more than likely wouldn’t show up to see her off either. It was an unfortunate thing, but Yang had explained that she didn’t want it to seem as if she were slacking off before a match, not to mention Qrow would more than likely get on her ass for missing another workout. Blake had initially been annoyed, but quickly got over it once she rationalized that Qrow wasn’t doing it to be the bad guy. Even so, she was still sad that she couldn’t see Yang one more time.

After getting her belongings from the trunk of Sun’s car, she turned to him and gave him a smile. “I’ll text you once I arrive.”

“I know you will. Stay safe, Blake.” Reaching forward, he gave her a quick hug. “Tell your parents hi from both me and Nep.”

Blake agreed to the request, squeezing him gently before letting go. Making sure she had everything, she waved bye once more before walking into the airport and towards the appropriate terminal. She honestly should have expected that when her parents offered to buy her ticket it would be first class. After getting checked in, she made her way towards the first-class area and took a seat in the back of the room, facing towards the entrance. She slipped on her headphones and hit shuffle on her playlist before resting her head back against the wall. She wouldn’t have to wait long to board her flight, it was just going to be boring while she did so.

Pulling out her book from her purse, she opened it and began to continue where she left off. Weiss had bought her the book series for her birthday and she was excited to find out what was going to happen. Blake had only made it two chapters in when she heard the PA system going off, letting everyone know that the flight to Menagerie was now boarding for first class flyers only. Slipping her bookmark back into place, she carefully put it back in her bag. As she stood up, her scroll began to ring; when she looked down and saw who was calling, she felt her smile grow.

“Hey babe.” She answered.

_“Hey sweetheart! I’m glad I caught you before your plane left!”_

She sounded breathless. “You alright over there?”

_“Yeah, I’m good. Just got finished with my morning run. Nothing too serious. But I just wanted to call you to say that I’m sorry I wasn’t able to see you off and to also say that I hope you have a great flight and a great time with your parents in Menagerie.”_

Blake smiled and let out a small laugh before covering her mouth. “Thank you, Yang. They actually just called my flight number, so you called just in time. I wish I could talk to you longer, but I have to get on. Also, don’t apologize for not being able to see me off; I know how much you need to train.” Blake paused for a moment. “Any chance you can pick me up from the airport when I come back?

_“Of course, sweetheart.” _Blake could practically hear her smiling over the line. _“But I’ll talk to you once your plane lands, is that okay?”_

“Yes, I’ll call you once I land. Just don’t forget the time difference okay?” Blake’s ears twitched as she heard them calling once again for first class passengers. “But I really do have to go. I’ll talk to you later, babe.”

_“Be safe, sweetheart. Talk to you in a few hours.”_

Blake hung up a few seconds later and held her scroll to her chest before inhaling deeply and letting out a content sigh. This week was going to be a long and lonely one without her girlfriend, but she was looking forward to spending some much needed time with her parents. She knew Kali wasn’t going to leave her alone and demand details about her relationship with Yang. This was definitely one relationship Blake was happy and excited to talk about.

~*~*~*~

Menagerie was exactly the same as how she remembered it. The hustle and bustle of the airport was slightly overwhelming but she quickly got her bearings; it was almost like riding a bike, she just went with the flow and soon enough, she had all of her bags and was making her way towards short term parking where her parents were waiting for her.

It was easy to find Ghira since he towered over most of the people on Menagerie. Seeing him instantly brought a sense of safety to her and when she looked down and saw her mother smiling happily, that safety extended out to comfort. They spotted her moments later and Kali nearly ran to her and embraced her; Blake hadn’t realized just how much she missed her mother’s hugs.

“Oh, my little kitten, I’m so happy that you’re home!” Kali exclaimed. Blake could already smell the saltiness of her tears and that alone made Blake start crying as well.

“It’s so good to be back.” Blake whispered as she hugged her mother tighter. She pulled away from her and looked at her father, giving him a smile. “Hi dad.”

“Welcome home, Blake.” Her father wrapped both women into a tight hug, causing both of them to gasp before laughing. “Let’s get out of here; I’ve prepared a grand meal to celebrate your first night home, kitten.”

No more words were exchanged as Ghira reached down and grabbed Blake’s bags. She followed them out of the airport and was greeted by warm air and sunny skies; the smell of the ocean made her want to curl her toes into the warm sand and sunbathe for hours. Eventually, she would make her way to the beach and do just that. For the time being, she would rest and spend the evening with her parents, catching up on everything that had happened in the few months they hadn’t seen each other.

They finally arrived at their home and once Blake stepped out of the car, she let out a sigh of contentment. Her childhood home was basically the size of a mansion, growing up here had definitely been interesting. She had had everything, and she threw it all away…she sighed heavily, trying not to let her mind wander too far. Once they walked inside, all of Blake’s troubles instantly disappeared as she inhaled the familiar scents of home. Her parents gave her some time to settle down and as she carried her bags into her old bedroom, she felt a smile tug on her lips.

There were still books that she had decided to leave there instead of taking with her when they hard first moved to Vale. All along her walls were pictures of her and her parents, even some of some old friends she had while living in in Kuo Kuana. Friends that she had lost touch with once she had left Vale and became involved with Adam; friends who had moved on and that she was content with losing. Setting her bags down onto her bed, she pulled out her scroll and sent a quick text to Sun letting him know that she had landed was now home. Backing out of their messages, she went to Yang’s and hit the call button. It rang a few times before going to voicemail.

“Hey baby, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve landed safely and I’m now at home. I can’t wait to video chat with you later. I’ll give you a call later on or you can call me back whenever you aren’t busy. I miss you, Yang. Talk to you soon.”

Hanging up, she let out another sigh before laying down on her twin sized bed. She should have asked for a larger bed, but for now this would be fine. Staring up at her ceiling, she smiled as she saw that the same glow in the dark stickers she had placed there as a child were still holding on. Closing her eyes, Blake unexpectedly fell asleep, the smile on her face never leaving.

A few hours had passed since Blake had fallen asleep. Once she awoke, she made her way downstairs and to the kitchen where her parents were sitting down enjoying a predinner drink. Once they both saw her, they gave her a smile and Kali asked if she’d also like a drink, but she declined. Ghira announced then that dinner was ready to be served and Blake’s ears perked up at his words; she definitely wanted something to eat after her long flight.

Sitting down having dinner with her parents once again made Blake realize just how much she missed them. It was after dinner that Yang finally called her back, explaining that she had missed the call due to some press thing that had suddenly come up. Blake let her know that she didn’t mind in the slightest and they stayed talking for an hour, Blake filling her in on how much she enjoyed being home and Yang saying how she was excited for her match in the coming week.

_“These next few days are going to be crazy.” _Yang admitted with a sigh. _“I probably won’t be able to talk much the next few days. At least not until Thanksgiving.”_

“That’s fine, Yang.” Blake snuggled into her pillows; her scroll pressed against her ear. “I’ll be sure to video call you on Thanksgiving so I can see your pretty face.”

_“Babe, stop.” _Yang said with an embarrassed laugh. _“As much as I really want to continue talking with you, I have to go already. I still need to shower and get ready for bed. But I miss you, so much Blake.”_

“I miss you too, sunshine.” The nickname slipped out before Blake could even stop herself. She heard Yang’s laughter over the line. “Sorry…it slipped.”

_“I don’t mind at all, sweetheart. Is it because I light up your life?”_

“I can’t with you.” Blake laughed. “Go to sleep, you goof.”

The next few days were a blur as Blake got used to being back on her home island. During the time she was there, she visited a few of her favorite places, including her favorite beach where she spent hours sitting under the sun, reading the books that she brought along with her as well as going swimming throughout her time there. She made sure to take plenty of pictures of the ocean (and of her also in her bathing suit) to send to Yang who was enjoying every single picture she sent (especially the ones of her in her bathing suit).

It was finally Thanksgiving Day and for most of it, she helped Kali in the kitchen with everything they would need. From what Blake remembered, her mother always made a bunch to eat and since there were always leftovers, they would give some to the people of Kuo Kuana who couldn’t afford a huge meal of their own. It was something that Blake was happy to be a part of now, and she was sure to make every dish with love.

After finishing the pies, Blake found herself back in her room sitting at her desk with her laptop open. Yang’s face was filling up the screen and she recognized the familiar background of her old bedroom on Patch. Yang had informed her the day before that she was leaving to Patch later on during the day and would be staying there until Friday morning before her match the next day. Her blonde hair was down and flowing around her and she was wearing a simple sundress that had made Blake smile. Although, at the moment both girls were looking at each other with mock horror on their faces.

_“What do you mean you don’t eat turkey?!”_

“Turkey is an abomination; it is always dry no matter which way you cook it. That’s why we eat fish instead.” Blake explained. She could see the shocked look on Yang’s face, and she was trying not to laugh.

Suddenly, her face became serious. _“Okay, I’m drawing the line here, Belladonna. This isn’t going to work.”_

“You are so dramatic.” She rolled her eyes. “You didn’t hear me saying that when you were dipping your fries in ranch.”

_“Your face said it all babe. And fries taste better with ranch! Not tomato smoothie!”_

“I’m hanging up.” Blake deadpanned.

_“Blakey, no! I’m joking!”_

Blake couldn’t hold in her laughter any longer as Yang began to whine. “Oh, sunshine, you’re so easy.”

Yang began to smirk then. _“Only with you sweetheart, only with you.”_

The dark-haired girl sighed while staring at the bright and beautiful woman on the screen. She had suddenly become distracted when Taiyang started yelling from the bottom of the stairs, asking if she had seen where he had put the cranberry sauce. She had muted the call so she wouldn’t hurt Blake’s ears and it made her appreciation for her grow…maybe it was growing into something much stronger than appreciation. Blake wasn’t ready to say the words aloud, but it was only a matter of time until those words came out.

Blake was fairly sure that she was almost ready for that.

~*~*~*~

Saturday night was finally upon them, and Blake sat on the sofa in the living room, her leg bouncing as she waited for Yang’s match to come on. It was going to be the second to the last match since it wasn’t a title fight. Once again, she adjusted the shirt she was wearing; a new shirt that she had bought for tonight. It had Yang’s initials above her right breast and on the back in had a large yellow dragon with flaming red eyes. When Ghira had first seen it, he gave her a look before shaking his head laughing, causing Blake to blush.

It was currently on a commercial and she knew that once it came back on, it would be Yang’s turn. Ruby had sent her a text earlier of a picture of Yang practicing in the training area. The caption had ready “She’s combat ready!” and it had made her smile before she saved the picture to her scroll. Kali had come to sit next to her, and she wrapped her arm around her daughter, bringing her closer.

“It’s nice seeing how happy she makes you.” She commented softly. “You’ve come such a long way kitten and I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, mom.” She whispered, her eyes growing watery. “Yang makes me very happy, and I’m happy I made the choice to be with her.”

Blake had already told Kali all that she had done for her birthday, and Kali had seemed to visibly swoon from just the few details she gave her of their date. She showed them pictures that they had taken while they were at the restaurant thanks to their waitress. Kali had sighed and said that Yang was a wonderful girl and a keeper. Blake had blushed and agreed.

Cheering from the television made Blake shift her attention to the screen. Yang’s opponent was making their way to the Octagon, their name appearing on the screen. Blake wasn’t really focused on them as they made their way to the center, a cocky looking smile upon their face as they bounced in place. It was only a matter of minutes until –

Hearing Yang’s opening song playing had caused Blake to clap without fully realizing what she was doing, causing Kali to let out a small laugh. Blake rolled her eyes but kept her gaze on the screen as her gorgeous girlfriend came walking out of the double doors. She was giving high fives to some of her fans and had even stopped to sign a little boys poster of her before she continued on her way to inspection.

Ghira came in a few minutes later after her inspection was finished and they were both standing in the ring. “Ah, I made it just in time.” He commented before sitting on the opposite side of Blake. “I’m excited to see her in action.”

“You’ve already seen her in action.” Blake commented, her eyes never leaving the screen.

“Yes, but that was before she became my daughter’s girlfriend.” He said matter-of-factly.

“I wasn’t aware there was a difference.” Blake said while rolling her eyes.

Before Ghira could answer, the referee signaled the start of the match and Blake’s focus zeroed onto the screen. Yang’s opponent – their name was Lee – went straight for a punch but Yang was quick to move out of the way before she punched her right in the middle of her face, instantly knocking her out. The crowd erupted into applause as the referee was quick to get in the way of both fighters. Yang had her arms up in the air and was cheering happily; she looked right into the camera and Blake could swear that she was looking right at her. She winked before jogging over to the fence where Tai, Qrow, and Ruby were standing and yelling out their excitement.

Ghira made a hum of approvement under his breath but Blake wasn’t paying attention. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Yang knocked her out in seven seconds. It took them longer to walk out into the Octagon than for her to actually fight her. My girlfriend is amazing, she thought to herself. At least, she thought she said it inside her head.

“She really is amazing.” Ghira commented while patting her leg fondly.

A few minutes later, they were once again standing in the middle of the ring as the announcer called out Yang’s name, declaring her the winner by way of knockout. She congratulated her opponent and gave them a hug before they stood off to the side to wait for their own interview.

_“Yang Xiao Long! Congrats on a surprisingly quick victory. What were your thoughts coming into this match?”_

_“Thank you! I’m happy to say that I won this match and I knew coming into it I had to be quick on my feet; Lee is an amazing opponent and one that I was happy to have a rematch with.”_

_“It was definitely an amazing defeat, you managed to beat them with one punch. How does that make you feel?”_

_“I’m actually really shocked at the turn of events, but I’m sure if we would have gone longer, they would have given me an amazing fight.”_

_“I’m sure you’re right. Congrats again on your incredulous victory! Do you have anything you’d like to say?”_

_“I’d like to as always thanks my dad Tai, my Uncle Qrow and my sister Ruby for being both amazing coaches and supporters. Also, a huge shoutout to Weiss Schnee as always for the amazing song. Thank you so the fans for their continued support. But I’d like to give a special shoutout to my girlfriend, Blake Belladonna! I miss you and I’ll see you soon sweetheart!” Yang blew a kiss to the camera and not long after the arena erupted into cheer._

Even though Blake knew she was going to announce their relationship, she still felt her face grow red as she replayed her words inside her head. Her mom was cheering loudly from her side and pushing her shoulder, causing her to lean into her fathers’ side. Ghira wrapped his arm around her and gave her an affectionate squeeze.

“I can’t believe she did that! Did you know she was going to do that?” Kali asked.

“Yes, we had talked about it the night of my birthday.” Blake said with a smile. “I let her know I’d be alright if she wanted to make the announcement after her match.”

Kali began to squeal in excitement and clapping. Yang had long since left the ring and it was now on the announcers were talking about the quick match. It was only a matter of minutes before Yang called her, so she excused herself from the living room and went outside to the garden that they had. Sure enough, her scroll began to ring and when she answered it, she was greeted with Yang’s laughter.

_“Oh, my gods Blake I have gotten so many messages on my social media asking if it was true on what I said! You don’t mind if I post one of the pictures of us from your birthday do you?”_

“Of course not.” She answered. “Congrats on your victory.”

_“Thank you, sweetheart. I’m so happy right now that I could literally scream!”_

As Yang continued to speak, Blake leaned against the railing, her gaze focused on a group of yellow flowers; her heart grew warm as the continued excitement of Yang’s voice carried over from the line and eventually her gaze went up to the night sky where she saw a shooting star. Closing her eyes, she wished that this feeling of happiness would continue to last. She so wanted this happiness to continue, especially with the way she was feeling with the woman on the other line.

_“I’m the happiest woman in all of Remnant.” _Yang said with a sigh. _“Especially now that all of Remnant knows that we’re together. I can’t wait to see you, sweetheart. I miss you so much Blake.”_

“I miss you too, Yang…you have no idea how much I miss you.” She smiled up at the night sky. “I can’t wait to see you, sunshine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally going to wait until tomorrow to post this but I decided to post it tonight instead! I do hope you all enjoy this update.
> 
> Moving sucks!! It's so frustrating but everything should be good by the end of the month, fingers crossed.
> 
> Thank you all for your reviews of the last chapter and even for your reviews of Strange You Never Knew! I really hope you guys enjoyed it =)
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> @VioletSkye413


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